Welcome Home, Son
by vdaymassacre
Summary: Jake finds out more about his father and what he has to do with Chris Redfield. YAOI WARNING. DON'T LIKE, DON'T READ. (Chris/Piers/Wesker/Birkin/Jake/Sherry I hope that satisfies you hungry ghosts. ;-))
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER/WARNINGS:**

~ As per usual, this contains _**YAOI**_, so if it ain't your cup of coffee, then I suggest you spill it and_** DON'T READ IT**_.

~ The characters depicted in this story or the series where they all came from unfortunately **DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. **Yaoi fangirls who ship either one the pairings in this fanfic will definitely rejoice if I did. ;)

* * *

Hello, everyone! I'm back with a brand new story. I hope you read the previous one, "Ordinary World" so that you can get a little of the real deal here in this story, but anyway, it wouldn't be that far behind.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this story and please R&R (no flaming, please) on your way out, thanks!

* * *

**I.**

It was a particularly peaceful afternoon; quiet and sunny save for the birds chirping outside and the low voices that talked to each other affectionately. They cuddled up with each other in the sofa and stroked each other's hair from time to time. It has been four years since they got together, and so far things have been great. There were a few arguments and petty little quarrels here and there, but those things normally come within relationships—it was a healthy thing.

There was a brief pause between the two men before Chris finally managed to let out a soft sigh. He had a few things in his mind that he wanted to talk to with the older man, and he felt that today was the right time for that. As if on cue, Wesker, who was leaning against the brunette's chest asked, "Is there something bothering you, Chris?"

He shifted his position a little as Wesker sat up and faced him, "is there something you want to tell me?" The blonde asked again.

"Well… I was just thinking about your son back in Eastern Europe," he replied. Several months ago, he got in a mission and met Jake, Wesker's twenty-year-old son who apparently was a mercenary and the key to the salvation of the world. As ironic as it was, he was the complete opposite of his father who tried to destroy the world pretty much half of his life, but finally ended up sick and tired of all the action and is now living with the man whom he tried to kill several times before.

"What about him?" Wesker asked nonchalantly as he raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms against his chest.

"Aren't you a little worried? I mean, the kid's mother is dead and he's now pretty much alone back in Edonia. Don't you want to take him in and finally meet him in person? He's your son after all."

"I assure you he hates me, Chris. It's not that I don't like him or anything, but if he's going to come here and destroy everything then might as well leave him be in that country. Maybe he would be happier that way."

When Chris came back from that mission, he narrated everything to Wesker, including his meeting with Sherry Birkin, who happened to be the daughter of the blonde's late ex, William Birkin. He also noticed the way she and Jake looked at each other, and he felt that they should stick together. On the other hand, there was also one thing that he was afraid to spill just yet—his short and bittersweet fling with his young, promising subordinate named Piers. For now, he would hold on to that secret firmly.

Chris went back to his senses and realized that his mouth was slightly ajar, causing the other man to look at him strangely, "what is wrong with you, Christopher? Why are you staring at me like a serial rapist?"

"Sorry, Al… anyway, why don't you consider taking Jake in? I'm sure he doesn't hate you, considering the fact that he almost shot me in the face when I told him that I was the one who _'killed'_ you."

"Really? You haven't told me about that. What was his reaction?"

"Honestly, I almost pissed in my pants when he got that gun right between my eyes, but of course, I maintained my composure. He was so damn angry he screamed at me. He still fired a shot though, and just let that goddamn bullet scrape my cheek. No doubt he got his being an asshole from you. "

Wesker grunted at the last statement and playfully kicked Chris in the shin. He felt amused and was frankly relieved that his son didn't curse him for leaving his side. When he met Jake's mother, he still wasn't over about William being married to some woman. One day he felt rebellious and decided to try on the opposite gender—it wasn't bad, but still no better than the _experiences _he's had with _his_ William.

He didn't regret having a son with a woman he met in a foreign land since it was part of one of his plans, but now that he's officially 'dead', he forgot all about it. In fact, he only cared about the child that he's going to have and not its mother. He wanted to leave a legacy, he wanted someone of his own blood to continue what he started, but now that he was the one who finished it himself, Wesker thanked the high heavens that Jake didn't go into that direction where he was supposed to lead him—thank goodness Jake turned out to be a good kid or else that would be more trouble.

Chris grabbed his phone from the coffee table and fidgeted with it. After a few seconds he came up with Jake's picture and showed it to Wesker, "see, he looks just like you."

A small smile crept upon Wesker's face, "he does. How tall is he? Does he have good combat and shooting skills? Was he nice and polite? How did he treat Sherry?" He asked almost excitedly. It was the first time that Chris saw that much enthusiasm on his former captain's face, since he always had a stoic and straight-looking expression on his fine features. Chris smiled warmly at the other man and planted a kiss on his lips, "he's a great kid."


	2. Chapter 2

**II.**

The next morning Chris contacted Sherry Birkin. He didn't say anything about her "Uncle Al's" real status, and he said that he simply wanted to talk to Jake about something important. Sherry obliged and passed along Jake's number, wished him well and promised to come by and visit him if she'd have the time, and hung up. Chris quickly dialed the number given to him and waited almost impatiently for the young man to come up at the other end of the line. He tapped his foot until finally after a few moments, he got an answer, "This is Jake Muller… I mean, Wesker, who is this?"

Chris' face lit up when he realized that it wasn't the answering machine—plus, the fact that the kid even used his father's last name, "oh hey Jake, this is Chris Redfield; do you remember me?"

There was a brief pause before he got the next response, "oh yeah, the BSAA guy. What's up?"

"Uh… I was just thinking if you have the time to talk with me personally. I got something really important to tell you—and I mean it."

"Wait a sec, how'd you even get my number?"

Chris rolled his eyes, "from Sherry Birkin. I'm sure you remember her _a lot_. Listen, I want you to get to the soonest flight available to the U.S., and we'll meet up as soon as you get here, is that cool?"

Chris took advantage of the brief pause to put his phone on loudspeaker so that Wesker could hear his son's voice for the very first time as he suddenly appeared beside him, "nah, I don't think so. I don't have that much money on me. If you thought that I got my fifty mill then you got it all wrong, I sent an SMS to Sherry and lowered my asking price to fifty fucking dollars just to impress her!"

Chris and Wesker snorted a laugh, "I see, don't worry about it, I got you covered. Just bring all of your stuff with you and I'll book you a flight."

"Could you please just tell me what's going on?"

"Do you still want that fifty million dollars?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Wesker whispered angrily as he tried to grab the phone from Chris who retaliated back by covering the blonde's mouth with his free hand, "ssh! I got this honey," he whispered back.

"Stop messing around, man," Jake replied, he was mystified but eager to get the money at the same time, especially now that he really needed it.

"I'm serious! Get your ass over here to the United States and we'll talk, it's that simple!"

"Is it about my blood sample again? I thought that was done for?"

"No, it isn't about your blood or the other shit that the government randomly came up with, it's about your father!" Chris finally revealed just to get their conversation over with.

Jake finally found the sense of the whole situation and considered his chances of getting his much needed money. He quickly came up with a decision, "alright. So when do I leave?"

"How about today, son?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? Do you even realize that it's one in the morning in here?"

"The sooner you get on that plane, the sooner you'll get the money that your dad left you."

Wesker sighed heavily as Chris mouthed the words, "he's gonna do it I swear…"

"Fine! I'm leaving at five," Jake finally replied.

"Great, call me when you get here."

"Okay, but—"

Chris cut him off and hung up, he didn't want Jake to whine even more about things, "I see that he's going to be a spoiled one."

"Hopefully not too much," Wesker said, "but I sure want to spoil him a little to make up for all the lost time."

"Sounds fair enough to me. I'll be picking him up at the airport then, wanna come along?"

"Chris, I am deeply embarrassed to tell you this, but I may not be able to contain myself. I'd rather stay here at home and wait."

"It's a deal. I'm sure everything will be okay."

Jake arrived at the airport almost two days after he made the call. The flight was strenuous since Edonia wasn't a nearby country, and he was tired. He also got the privilege to suffer from the talkative passengers that constantly wanted to strike a conversation with him. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and called Chris, just like what he was told to do.

"Jake?" Chris spoke from the other line.

"Yeah, I just arrived and should I wait for you to come pick me up?"

"Yes, yes, I'll be there in twenty minutes. Wait for me, okay?"

"Sure thing," he replied as he hung up.

He found an empty seat in the passenger's lounge and stretched his legs. He felt good and it hasn't been ten seconds when a familiar female voice called out to him, "Jake! What are you doing here?" It said. He turned around to see Sherry, who had a look of awe on her face.

"Sherry?"

"Oh my god, Jake, are you stalking me?"

Jake snickered, "hell no, I'm here to talk to the BSAA guy Chris Redfield."

"Really? I'm also here to visit him! Let's go and meet him up together then."

"Relax, he's coming to pick me up."

"Oh, okay," Sherry replied as she took the seat beside Jake.

They talked away the remaining minutes of their waiting time until Chris finally arrived with a smile on his face, "well I'll be damned," he said in awe.


	3. Chapter 3

**III.**

Jake and Sherry dumped their luggage on the back of Chris' SUV and jumped in. Chris decided that he should start off his revelation slowly before finally breaking the ice to the two, "so, how's the flight, people?" He asked.

"Mine was okay; I fell asleep all the way here. I think I missed the meals too," Sherry replied happily.

"The plane became a torture chamber for me," Jake said as he sighed heavily and shook his head, "I wish I brought some duct tape with me to shut my seatmate up."

"I didn't expect you to visit so soon after that call, Sherry," Chris said, chuckling lightly.

"Well me too, but they suddenly let me off for a week, so I might as well use that up. How's Claire by the way?"

"She's doing okay, and she was also planning to come over some time," Chris replied, he hasn't told Claire anything about him yet, and he almost wished that the redhead wouldn't be showing up anytime soon even though he missed her badly.

"That's great to hear! I wish I would see her again."

They stopped by a fancy diner to grab some lunch, especially since Sherry kept complaining about how empty her stomach was during the whole flight. Chris thought of this as an opportunity to give the details about Wesker's real status slowly, and he hoped that the two wouldn't give an overreaction to his revelations. He had a certain feeling in his gut when he realized that he should also tell the two about his and Albert's orientations.

"So what was it that you want to talk about?" Jake started.

Chris scratched his head lightly, "well, the thing is… I lied to you guys."

Jake and Sherry looked at him quizzically, "what do you mean?"

"Before I say anything more, I want you guys to promise me one thing… don't panic or overreact or anything… and keep everything as a secret."

The other two leaned closer to the older man, ready to listen intently with wide eyes, "we promise."

"Jake… I didn't kill your father… he's still alive," Chris knew at the moment that he failed in taking things slowly, but it was too late to take back his words so he had no choice but to go on.

The younger man's eyes widened even more, and his once uninterested and tired expression a while ago changed into an expression of yearning for something more, "then where is he? Is he safe?"

"He's living with me," Chris simply replied amidst the looks of confusion on his companions' young faces.

"Here's the food," the waitress suddenly popped up as if to add a cliffhanger to the story that Chris was about to tell. She placed their orders gently on the table and left quickly to attend to the other customers.

"I'll save the rest for later," Chris said as he started to eat. The two did the same, and they have never been more eager to hear the rest of what Chris has to say—if only they weren't starving, they would've ditched the food.

Jake couldn't fight the terrible confusion about the mystery that was his father's real condition, and he almost wanted to confront Chris about the surprising information that he'd just learned. They went back inside the SUV and continued the thirty-minute drive home. Chris could feel the tension in the atmosphere, so he decided to break it by talking once again, "look, I don't want anyone to know about this, not even our current location. Nobody from the BSAA, hell, not even my own sister knows about this, so I'm asking you to keep everything safe."

"I understand, Chris, just tell me the rest already!" Jake replied impatiently as Sherry rubbed her cold hands nervously.

"Your father is safe and is currently living with me," Chris repeated, "he's… he's been living with me for four years already."

"Why? What do you two have together?" Jake asked suspiciously—he had a certain gut feeling that the reason was far more than civil, since killing Albert Wesker was a mission that Chris once vowed to accomplish his whole life, and then suddenly the man tells him that they're living together.

He didn't want to think anything about his father's real identity since he had never met the man since he was born, but his thoughts were sliding off. He didn't despise people that belonged to the more _uncommon_ gender, but the fact that his father might be one of them made him quite uncomfortable.

Sherry on the other hand, kind of knew that this was coming—the _"we're living together"_ thing. She was locked up for fourteen years, but that doesn't mean that she didn't know about anything in the outside world. She finds two men living together quite interesting, and she knew what it meant for some reason.

She didn't expect the surprising turn of events though—first off, she was surprised to find out that her Uncle Al's still alive after hearing the news of his death and his treacherous activities years ago; second, she was surprised that Chris Redfield, everybody's 'hero' lives under the same roof with the man who once tried to destroy him and Claire along with the world; and lastly, why he was still being kept alive. She didn't hate her Uncle Al—she respected him more than anyone else, sometimes even more than her own mother when she was still alive, but she felt that something was up in the air.

There was a sudden awkward silence between the three as they drove the rest of the freeway, before Jake started to ask questions again, "Chris, what do you have to do with my dad?"

Chris didn't answer instantly, but when he did, he had a little impatience in his tone; "kid, all your questions would be answered when you finally get to meet him."

"Shit," Jake swore under his breath as he threw himself back in his seat disappointingly, his excitement suddenly dropping low as he looked outside the car window.


	4. Chapter 4

**IV.**

The thirty-minute drive felt like a year on the road as they finally pulled over at the large gates of the A-Lister house that Chris and Wesker had decided to buy for them to settle in comfortably. Jake stepped out of the SUV first and mused at the mansion, "i-is this where you guys live?"

"Welcome home, son. Your father's waiting for you inside," Chris replied as he hauled a couple of suitcases from the back of the vehicle.

Jake remained speechless as he helped Chris in carrying the rest of their luggage. All these years he never knew what kind of fortune that had been waiting for him all along—he had an unforgivably hard time in Edonia. If only he knew about who he really was earlier on, his mother shouldn't have died like that. He wanted to be angry at his father for everything that he did wrong, but that wouldn't take him anywhere since it's all too late. He just did his best to calm himself down and go along with the flow as he and Sherry followed Chris inside. His palms went sweaty with excitement as soon as they stepped onto the pathway leading to the big front doors.

He looked around—the weather was pleasant, and the crisp smell of the early afternoon breeze danced in his nostrils. He then turned his attention as the doors finally opened, and suddenly he didn't know what to say first when he finally meets his old man.

"Is he even here?" Jake asked when the large house looked pretty empty to him, his words echoing through the large and regally decorated Victorian-inspired corridors.

"Yeah, he must be in the gym or something. You guys get your _separate_ rooms first. It's on the right side after you pass the hallway upstairs. I emphasized on that just so you know that decency is one of the main rules of this house. I want you guys to go down and show yourselves up at the living room immediately, got that?" Chris commanded as if briefing his soldiers for battle and retaining his captain status.

"But we're just friends—"

"Don't go Hollywood on me, Sherry. I know what you guys are up to. Just do as I say."

"Yes, sir," the young woman replied unenthusiastically.

"Don't you think that this house is far too big for only two people to live in?" Jake asked as he ascended the grand staircase with Sherry.

"I think so, yeah. But don't you think you're lucky? I mean, just look at this place—it's fit for a king."

"Lucky because my dad's rich? I think I am, but I wish my mom could've seen all this."

"I'm sorry, Jake."

"Don't mention it," the boy replied as he stopped in front of a waiting room, "but I think the more appropriate word would be _'thankful,'_" he said as he smiled and stepped inside his room and closed the door.

The room was extremely spacious—it had a king-sized double bed with four wooden posts and a canopy. The large picture windows showed the spectacular scenery outside, and it streamed a lot of natural light to fill the whole room to the brim. The walls were painted white and had gold crowning, and the hardwood floors gleamed in the sunlight. The bathroom was as equally spacious as the main room—a ceiling window sat atop of the pristine porcelain bathtub, and the towels were neatly folded along with other bath necessities, as if really expecting its new owner. He checked himself out in the mirror and frowned, "goddamn scar… wait… it actually makes me look badass! Screw that… thank you, scar…"

Never in his wildest dreams did he think that all of this would come to him. He trusts Chris with all of his being, and everything still felt too good to be true for now, but he breathed it all in as he threw himself onto the large bed, "this… is the life. I wish you were here, mom," he said to himself. He took this new change one piece at a time. He was almost starting to doze off when a sudden knock on his door snapped him back to his senses.

"Hey Jake, Chris told us to come down quick!" Sherry yelled outside.

"I'll be out in a sec!" He replied as he sprang up and shook his hands. He suddenly grew nervous since he had no idea who his dad really was. He opened the door and descended to the living room with Sherry. It was the moment of truth—the moment that he had been waiting for.

There was a great rug covering the center of the high-ceilinged living room. The chairs were overstuffed and looked like it would fit a palace than a mansion, and he could see the bristling water fountain that adorned the center of the large backyard outside the double doors leading to it; but what really caught his attention was the man whom he wanted to meet for so long, sitting with his back turned from him, waiting for his son to show up and see him for the very first time.

"Here they are, Al," Chris pointed as soon as he saw them. Wesker turned his head slowly as Sherry suddenly jogged towards him in anticipation as if Jake wasn't there, "Uncle Al! Oh my god, you look great!" She said as she gave him a hug. She missed him too, as she saw him as a father figure. His past evil antics aside, Sherry looked up to him with a whole new set of respect for changing himself for the better.

"How are you, Sherry, darling? You've grown up to be quite a lovely lady," Wesker replied as he hugged her back. He was almost proud at her for surviving Raccoon City—and for being the spitting image of her father, "take a seat, dear."

"Thank you Uncle Al, I'm so glad to see you, in all honesty," Sherry replied as she sat comfortably on one of the sofas.

"And who might this fine-looking gentleman be?" Wesker asked as he eyed the boy from head to toe. Jake felt like he was being scrutinized—and seeing from the way his father spoke or moved, he knew that his brash manners wouldn't be a good thing if he was going to stay in this household for good.

"That's him, Al… your son… why don't you speak for yourself boy?" Chris said as he motioned for Jake to come closer, "don't be afraid, he doesn't bite. He's your dad, come on!"

"H-hello… nice to meet you… I-I'm Jake Muller," he found it unnatural for him to stutter since he was very sharp and quick when it comes to words, but that ability didn't help him right now.

"Why hello there, Jake. I'm Albert Wesker, and it's a lovely coincidence that I'm your father," Wesker noticed his newfound son's speechlessness, "are you just going to stand there and stare?"

Jake was startled by his father's words and walked closer to hug him awkwardly.

"No need to get nervous now, dear boy. Why don't we all take a seat and have some tea? Do you drink tea, son?"

"Y-yes dad… I—"

"Wonderful! Let's drink it up while it's still hot. It's a shame to leave it to cool, I made it myself," Wesker said as he started pouring tea onto each other's cups gracefully.

Jake didn't have the courage whatsoever to ask what was really going on between Chris and his dad, so Sherry did it for him since she knew his dad before him, "Uncle Al, I hope you don't mind if I ask you this one silly question…"

"Go ahead, dear. What is it?"

"Uh… are you and Chris… you know," Sherry said as she put two fingers close together, "I mean, you guys live together and all…"

"Oh he hasn't told you anything yet, I suppose?" Wesker had a look of surprise on his face as he turned to Chris, "you silly bastard."

"What?" Chris reacted defensively as he chugged down his tea, "I hate teacups."

Jake had a discerning look on his face. The moment that he had been waiting for is on the brink of finally happening—he would soon know who the real man that his father was behind that picture that his mother had kept all these years. Sherry examined Jake's expression and waited for any response nervously. The light mood a while ago dissipated as the house suddenly went still.

Wesker took another sip of his tea and placed it back on the center table, "Christopher hasn't told you anything _yet_," he repeated. He crossed his legs and faced Jake, "I can feel a sense of fear in you, my son," he said coolly.

"I'm sorry?" He pretended not to hear, but his father said it loud and clear; _a sense of fear._ During his captivity in China, he overheard some of the people from the facility where he was being held in while they talked about his dad—how he had powers that were far beyond human, and how he was able to sense and feel changes and fluctuations in another person's pulse, breathing or heartbeat. He can also smell danger within a very wide radius. With those abilities considered, he knew he cannot lie to his own father. Surely right now, he could feel his nerves rattling from dread.


	5. Chapter 5

**V.**

"Chris and I have a long history together," Wesker started as he scratched his temple lightly, "from being my subordinate when I was still the captain of the S.T.A.R.S team back in Raccoon City," Wesker drew an imaginary line in the air and ended it with an imaginary dot, "to being just my plain nemesis, you should've seen how we tried to kill each other—literally."

Jake felt like he was hung over the edge, "and then which part of that long history are you guys now?" He asked as he narrowed his eyebrows.

Chris coughed lightly as the blonde continued with his little walk down memory lane, "and then four years ago, we became what Chris thought we really were meant to be," he finished smoothly with a small grin, "he thought we were really meant to be lovers all along, dear boy."

"And you believed him? You believed a person who once tried to kill you and vice-versa?" Jake had a tone of judgment and angst in his voice and he made a poor effort to conceal it.

"Listen, Jake. Everybody makes mistakes, and sometimes it takes an awful lot of good measure to realize it. When your father and I met again four years ago, he took up all those measures and made a promise to change. He wasn't getting any younger, and he knew it, he wanted to make up the most of what the rest of his life had to offer," Chris explained, his eyes bore towards the younger Wesker, and he had a convincing look to emphasize the sincerity of his words.

"Why would you choose him over someone else like my mother?"

"Your mother was a wonderful woman. Sadly, I just can't bear to see her suffer from my hypocrisy. I can't lie to myself, Jake. Your mother doesn't deserve that—a person who lives a lie everyday knowing that no one would benefit from it."

"Life was hard for us, dad. You let her die!" Jake clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, bearing a complete opposite to his father who was a perfect picture of cool and grace.

"I didn't let her die, son. She was tired from it all. I left her my contact details in case she needed help from anything, but I received no calls, not even a single letter."

The house was once again veiled in silence. Jake had to rethink his words; were they too harsh? Did he offend his father giving him a bad first impression? His mother didn't ask for any help; whatever the reason was he would never know as the questions he once had were now buried along with her in that cold grave. Now, he would have to seek out all the answers by himself.

"Mom didn't bring it upon herself! She died because you left us to suffer for some reason, and what do you know… you just sat your fagg—"

"Jake that's enough!" Sherry warned firmly as she held a hand in front of him, "you can't talk to your father like that!"

"Watch your potty mouth, kid. I understand how pissed off you are about your shitty situation back in Edonia, but you gotta learn how to deal with it," Chris tried his best not to lose his remaining temper, "and your dad could use a little respect too."

Jake heaved and sighed heavily. He shook his head and pointed a finger to both Chris and Wesker, "you guys… are gonna burn in hell." He took one last look at a distraught Sherry before leaving to go back upstairs to his room. He wanted to leave this place—this damn country and this damn situation; and yet if he did, he wouldn't be able to find out who he really was. He kind of regretted his actions a while ago, but he hoped that somehow they would understand how much he hated that part of himself.

Back at the living room downstairs, Chris and Sherry assured Wesker even though he didn't look like he needed any of it, "baby I'm so sorry, you were probably right about what you said back then," he said apologetically as he held the blonde's hands.

"Please, give him a chance! He isn't all that you think… he'll get over it and I'll be here to help him do what has to be done," Sherry exclaimed reassuringly.

"It's not a big deal. He's still mourning for his mother, and that's quite understandable. The one thing I haven't told him is I never really planned to be with that woman because she will only be a nuisance. That's actually one life less to be sacrificed during those times when I was unfolding all of my schemes."

Chris and Sherry nodded and understood what Wesker meant, and went on talking about how life had been in the past several years while trying to cool down the situation that Jake had previously stirred up.

Meanwhile, Jake who remained locked up in his room all night refused to eat dinner even though it was offered to him by Sherry. He only sent her away, completely trying to ignore his rumbling stomach.

He liked her as more than a friend, but he was too embarrassed to even show his face to her right now. Knowing how much she valued politeness towards other people, he knew that he swooped low on points judging by the way he reacted earlier towards Chris and his father. His choice of words were poor either, and he can see the chance of him getting his share of the money as promised dwindling.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit," Jake muttered angrily as he curled up in his bed, "I'm so fucking hungry!"

Another knock came onto the door, and just like what he did a while ago, he easily called it off, "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep!" He lied as he once again tried to overhear the protesting sounds in his stomach. He should've brought some food along when he dashed upstairs, but his stubbornness prevented him from doing so, which he adamantly regretted.

"Open the door and stop being a snotty little brat, will you? Your dad wants to talk to you!" Sherry insisted impatiently. "If you don't get out from there I'm going to bust this door!"

"Alright, fine! Just shut up, okay? I'm comin'!"

Jake's now-pallid face finally showed up before Sherry, causing the latter to ask him with concern; "Are you okay? You look like a ghost."

"I'm just tired, that's all," and with that reply came another rumbling from Jake's stomach.

"Your dinner's getting cold. Your father wants to talk with you, and please," Sherry said as she acknowledged the pleas from Jake's tummy. She smoothed out a few wrinkles on Jake's shirt and held his shoulders, "that little disrespectful show you did a while ago? Don't do that ever again." Sherry looked at him right in the eyes while she waited for an answer.

"Whatever," was all that Jake said before removing her hands off his shoulders. He finally turned away to finally devour the said dinner. He wasn't used to apologize to anyone, and he knew that it was going to be hard for him to learn about that little trait.


	6. Chapter 6

**VI.**

Sherry found Chris standing on the second floor veranda while smoking casually and looking at the moonlit sky. She never really had the chance to know about him personally other than the stories that his Claire told about him; how he always wanted to play hero—that he was such a tough nut to crack, but when you do, he's actually a gentle, caring person on the inside; and he may not be the perfect brother, but he's definitely the best that she'll ever have.

Chris noticed her presence and turned around to greet her as he crushed his cigarette on the ashtray that he was holding, "hey, Sher."

"Hi—oh wow, the view from here is lovely. Perfect sky too," Sherry exclaimed in awe as she scanned the lake that lined the horizon, admiring its mysterious glimmer under the moonlight, "you got yourselves a really good location for a house here, Chris."

"This is what your Uncle Al had wanted, and I think it makes a lot of sense," the brunette replied as he popped a mint candy into his mouth to neutralize the taste of tobacco, "I like it here."

"Hopefully Jake will too. He needs a family," Sherry said as she crossed her arms and breathed in the cool evening breeze. It had a faint smell of jasmines and gardenias, and it calmed her nerves as it went through her nostrils.

"That kid needs to learn how to be a son first. I don't blame him though; he's got it tough back in Edonia. Manners wouldn't get you anywhere in that shithole if you want to survive."

"You bet. I'm just really thankful that you're here, Chris. He needs someone like you to change and adapt to his new life… and to forget the horrors that he has experienced too."

"I gotta admit I didn't like him at first, but when I learned that he's Albert's son, I kind of took it upon instinct that he's gonna be mine too—he's my self-proclaimed son, if you get that."

Sherry laughed lightly, "Yes I get it. He should just appreciate what he has right now. He's still got a father to talk to or to come home to, and don't worry about him, you'll see his softer side soon enough." She looked up at the sky and sighed heavily, "I wish I still had my parents."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Sherry."

"It's alright. I got to live with it and be tough. I want to make your sister proud of me and what I've become."

"She surely is. I heard nothing but good things about you."

Sherry smiled heartily, "that's nice to know."

Chris shifted his weight and leaned against the veranda's marble railing, "and I haven't told her anything about me or this situation yet."

The young woman's blue eyes widened, "are you serious?"

"You bet I am. She's the only family I have and I don't want her to think differently about me or worse, deny me as her brother."

"I'm pretty sure that Claire is open-minded enough to understand her own brother! You were good to her, Chris. Nobody has the right to judge someone just because of their sexuality!"

Chris nodded and managed to laugh bitterly, "Considering if I come out to her and she accepts me for who I am, I'm pretty much damn sure she can't handle Albert. She knew everything that he has done and he once tried to hurt us and shit. Please don't tell her anything, Sher."

"I won't… I promise," Sherry replied when she realized that she almost called Claire earlier to tell her the _"good news"_ about her brother, his grand love nest that he shared with a handsome blonde in a scenic location, and how much of a good-looking couple they actually are. Now, she was thankful that it slipped though her mind or things could have gotten worse.

Chris wanted a change of topic, and came up with it shortly, "Al told me that you were the spittin' image of your old man when he saw your picture before you arrived here."

"I don't know, some people say that I look more like my mom. Maybe he just misses my dad that much."

It was now Chris' turn to have his eyes opened wide, "you knew about your dad and Albert?"

"What do you mean? They're very close, right?"

Chris had said an _'oops!'_ mentally. He didn't know that Sherry had no idea about her father's past with Albert, and his feet got cold when he almost let it slip, "y-yeah… they're good friends!"

_"Or more than that"_, he noted in his mind.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

Chris could've just ran away to avoid further questions from Sherry, but he didn't want to look stupid so he needed to lie to avoid said stupidity from happening, "about your dad and your Uncle Al?" The well-built gentleman shook his head nervously and cursed at himself for sucking at being calm and composed, "hell no."

Sherry cupped her hand onto her mouth while she laughed, "oh my god Chris, you're a bad liar. I just wanted to see your reaction and you should've seen that ridiculous look on your face!"

"What the hell?" Chris asked in utter confusion.

"I've always known about them—that their friendship isn't limited to that term alone. I caught them twice or thrice; and on that third time it was when I finally got to know how two guys do it," Sherry bellowed a laugh as she slammed both of her hands on the railing, "my back is killing me!"

Chris kept his eyes as wide as saucers the whole time as Sherry revealed the somewhat embarrassing details to him, "You were _twelve_, Sherry! You weren't supposed to know those things yet!"

Sherry tried her best for the laughter to subside, "twelve is the new twenty, Chris. Welcome to the real world," she said almost breathlessly.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone! I'm really sorry for the long wait. Thank you all so much for keeping up with this story. Without any further ado, here are the updates. Enjoy!**

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**VII.**

"How come you weren't angry about it or anything?" Chris asked, his face contorted in an expression of disbelief.

Sherry took another moment to cease her laughter, "well, I found dad's old diary when I was rummaging through our attic. It was dated sometime in the seventies, and I was too tempted not to look. I know that it was wrong to snoop around on extremely personal things and not even my mom knows that the diary even exists."

"Okay, so now that you've opened it what does it say?"

"As most diaries do, it has confessions—and it's got to be the only place where the name 'Albert' was written the most. I found out how they got to be friends and then eventually became partners to lovers… that he married mom because he had no choice and mom didn't want me to grow up without a father and such."

"You don't seem affected at all."

"Because I felt that it was mom who practically stole dad away from Uncle Al… oh god it sounded wrong in so many ways but as time went by it was how I saw it. I was just glad that my parents didn't go over the top about that little problem and they tried so hard to be responsible as parents although sometimes those attempts fell flat."

"So you're technically okay with it?"

"Not entirely since that would mean I'm an unwanted child, but nobody made me feel that way despite everything—so uh… I pretty much contradicted myself; yeah, I'm over it and I'm now totally cool with it. I loved Uncle Al and he was almost like a father to me anyway."

They both shared a laugh, "want some beer?" Chris offered as he saw that their conversation wouldn't be finishing anytime soon.

Sherry smiled, "that would be wonderful."

It was one of the few times when her parents had brought her along to work. School was out for the day because of the bad weather, and Annette didn't like the idea of leaving her twelve-year old daughter alone at home throughout the night. William can't do anything about his wife's decision as it would be for the better; normally, he would've protested against it if it wasn't for the horrible weather since he never wanted any distraction from his research.

Sherry sat quietly from a swivel chair across the room. She knew the rules which were established by her parents when she's hanging around the lab while they worked. She would occasionally stretch out her legs silently, and when she became tired from either watching them or from reading the pre-teen novel that she had brought along as a form of entertainment, she would lie on the small couch on the corner. It was never comfortable, but it was the only one amongst the various scientific equipments and sparse furniture that was fit for someone to sleep on.

She wondered if her parents had ever used it since it still looked new, and that couch was already there way before she had been in the campy research facility for the first time several months ago. Her parents were hardly home, and she sometimes asked herself what had happened to their definition of sleep. She never saw them act like a real husband and wife too; and actually, she never felt them as real parents to her.

She felt that she was just there to exist, call herself their daughter, and live the rest of her life like that. She never hated them though, but she wished that they would have the time to be a real family. Sherry missed them even though they were still around. She let out a heavy sigh before finally closing her eyes to take a long nap.

"Annette, I need to use the restroom for a while," William said as he took off his latex gloves and threw them into the trash bin, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Alright, honey. I'll keep track of the mutations in this particular strain."

William acknowledged her with a nod and left, not even bothering to take a glance at his sleeping daughter on the side. Annette went back to her microscope and continued jotting down notes.

William paced the cold, dark hallways of the Arklay facility quickly. He wore a tired expression on his face as he approached the men's restroom at the far end of that stretch. When he got inside, he studied himself at the mirror and noticed the dark circles under his eyes. His cheeks look much more hollowed than before and his skin was pale from lack of exposure to sunlight. He cursed at himself because he looked older than his age and they weren't progressing that much on their research.

He turned on the tap and let the almost freezing water run through his face. Feeling a little more refreshed and energized, he got ready to leave, but as he lifted his face up for one last look at the mirror before going, he almost dropped his jaw to the floor when he saw Wesker's tall and darkly-clad figure standing behind him, "Al?"

"Hello, William. Long time no doing it," Wesker replied seductively.

The slightly younger blonde turned to face his lover, "what are you doing here?" William pretty much knew, as their current location and Wesker's suggestive smile provided him the answers, but he never expected his visit nonetheless.

"Is tonight a bad time?"

"I'm afraid yes. My wife and daughter's here with me," the tired but yearning doctor replied as he ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair.

"We talked about this already, Will. You can call this night off and send your girls to the sleeping quarters."

William smiled and looked at his _friend_ straight in the eye, "are you that needy now, Albert?" He asked as he ran a finger across the taller man's chest.

"You need it as much as I do, love," the taller blonde moved closer and whispered unto the other man's mouth. He knew that William was already tired and overworked, but those reasons never stopped them from doing it before.

The doctor silently agreed with Wesker and wrapped his arms around his neck to pull him closer, "and how can you know about that?"

The darkly-clad blonde ran his tongue across his lips and surprised William with a hand to the crotch, "because of this," he smiled, noting his lover's tighter pants.

He slammed him against the tiled wall of the empty restroom which was to remain as such for the rest of the evening since nobody would wander off at that part of the facility during that time of night. He yanked off the doctor's belt and threw it aside as he unbuttoned his pants before finally slipping his hand through the hem.

William passed between a moan and a sigh as the other blonde continued to fondle him, and embarrassing as it may seem he could feel that wave of pleasure collecting onto his groin. He clutched Wesker's shoulder's tightly for support, as every touch made him weaker in the knees.

They started kissing heatedly and almost violently, with their tongues inside each other's welcoming mouth. Wesker proceeded on nibbling the side of the shorter man's neck as his other hand roamed freely on the rest of the doctor's body.

William finally took off his lab coat hastily and loosened his tie in the same manner, "I have to be out of here quick, Al," he then went on to unbuckle Wesker's belt and unzip his pants which were also diminishing in size, "please hurry up and do this, I'll go insane if we waited for too long…"

One important thing that they didn't seem to notice was the pair of eyes watching from the small slit on the door. Sherry was only twelve, but she isn't stupid to not know what they were doing. She learned about the 'birds and the bees' in sex education at school, but it was only between a man and a woman. She just couldn't believe her eyes when she finally realized that it can be possible between two men.

She wanted to faint and scream—her mind couldn't possibly process everything that she was currently seeing; and all along she thought that her _dearest_ Uncle Al and her father were just friends, but friends don't do this kind of thing. She couldn't understand why this was happening, and how long this has been going on behind her mother's back.

If she had seen her father with her mom in this kind of situation instead, she would completely understand as they were married even though it's still equally as embarrassing. She started questioning herself if her dad really loved her mom, but she doubted it now as she continued to witness the adultery right in front of her eyes—and as Wesker continued to push himself inside William repeatedly as he moaned and sighed. Sherry almost wanted to go blind.

The little girl finally turned away before she becomes too traumatized to even think properly about her father and her Uncle Al the next time she sees them. It wasn't possible to remove the erotic scene instantly in her mind no matter how much she tries to, but no matter what, it was automatically going to be a secret.

For some reason she still couldn't bring herself to hate the both of them, and she felt that there was something else; something like a real story behind that relationship. She was yet to know that as she ran back to the laboratory before she gets caught by either of the two men snooping around.

"You okay, sweetie?" Annette asked her daughter flatly while she observed onto the microscope as soon as she heard her walk through the metal doors.

"Yes, mom," Sherry replied as she tried her best to hide the shock from what she just saw.

"Have you seen your dad?"

"N-no."

"Shit, just as there's finally a development here. Anyway, put on your blanket, it's getting cold."

Sherry did as she was told as she forced herself to sleep and shut her thoughts down.


	8. Chapter 8

**VIII.**

They stared at each other in silence for a good five minutes before Wesker finally spoke, "did you like the roast?"

Jake kept silent as he finished the rest of his meal. He just couldn't bring himself to speak to his father all suddenly especially after the commotion that afternoon; besides, he was too baffled and much too proud to apologize. He also felt awkward as Wesker watched him eat as it seemed like he was taking down notes on his table etiquette.

"I'm going to sleep," Jake replied simply as he stood up.

"Sit down," Wesker commanded sharply.

Jake was known for his tough and fearless persona, his wit and intelligence, but his father's words just cut through him like a knife— those words were cold and almost unreadable. He never allowed anyone to put him under their authority, but his _dear old dad_ wasn't just anyone to him. Feeling defeated, he turned around and sat back on his chair angrily, "what do you want?"

"Stop being such a narrow-minded idiot, Jake," the older Wesker seethed. The way he said it startled Jake tremendously, and for the millionth time he was left without words. "I know how much you hate me for leaving you and your mother, but do you really have to be such a bigoted ass about my being queer?"

"Dad I—"

"Listen closely young man; I am telling you in all honesty that I never really wanted to disturb your life in Edonia if it wasn't for Chris. I could've left you alone for all I care and let you go on living your life as a serial killer—"

"Dad I was a mercenary, come on!"

"Whatever, son! That wasn't the point. What I want you to know is that the last thing on my mind was to leave you growing up like that. With Chris' suggestion I decided to give you the life you'll never have if you were to stay in that country."

"But mom died because of your irresponsibility!"

"Oh my god, Jake… that was the first time I heard it today so would you kindly repeat that?" Wesker said sarcastically as he drank his wine. Jake now knew where he got his skills in sarcasm, "is there anything else besides blaming me for your mother's death? How about living your life in the now instead of being buried in the past with your mother, son? And now since we're all repeating ourselves here I'll say again that I left her my contact details in case she needed anything besides my actual presence, but she never called or wrote so I assumed both of you were doing okay."

"Why didn't she come into contact with you, then?"

"Ask a psychic," Wesker rolled his eyes, "the last time we came into contact was on that bed where you were conceived."

"Dad, please, can you at least talk to me seriously?"

"I actually saved your mother's life by not having her involved in any of my plans—unlike that certain someone whom I used to know… he let his wife dip in the insane pool with him after leaving me for that damned woman."

"What are you talking about?"

"You should be thankful that your mother didn't die in my hands. I'm not saying that it was her fault why you had a rough time in Edonia, but she probably thought that you should know the meaning behind the word 'labor'."

"And keep your wealth as a secret?" Jake asked with raised eyebrows, adding a dash of his own sarcasm which showed no effect on his father at all.

"Yes, exactly. She didn't want you to rely on me too much, and now that you know how hard it is to earn money, I think she did a wonderful job."

Jake paused and contemplated on his father's words for a moment. Feeling relieved, he felt a lot better now that he's seeing the light of things. After a short while he finally let his humility help him apologize to his father, "I'm sorry, dad. I'm sorry for judging and blaming you, and I don't hate you… anymore."

Wesker sighed and nodded his head contentedly, "you're home now, son. I hope you'll learn how to accept thing as they are—and to accept me for who I am."

Jake stood up and reacted defensively, "I-I don't really care if you're… gay or not, I guess I was just tired and overwhelmed a while ago! I do accept you for who you are and I respect your decisions with Chris." The boy who used to be rough and rugged now felt like a little child. He hated to admit to himself how much he missed having a parent to give out discipline.

Wesker grinned, "Good. So now that we've come to terms with each other, call it a night and go to rest. There's a lot up ahead tomorrow."

Jake had no idea what was in store the next day, but he felt the excitement once again as he nodded at his father and left to finally go to sleep. Now full and content with the wonderful food and his father's explanations, he looked forward to tomorrow and the days after on his newfound life.

And now, his father actually felt more like a mother to him too.

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**The next chapters will follow soon. Thank you for reading so far! :) (And I apologize for a short chapter. x3)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, everyone... I apologize again for the slow updates! T_T Anyways, here are the new chapters. Thank you all so very much for reading the story so far, and I also appreciate the nice comments, they really made me smile. :-D**

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**IX.**

A lot of things swam through Jake's mind, keeping him awake when he was supposed to be asleep after a strenuous trip. He tossed and turned while trying to catch his much-needed sleep but to no avail. He felt like he needed some fresh air so he shot up and put on his jacket, deciding that he would take a stroll around the mansion.

Meanwhile, Chris and Sherry got deeper into their conversation in the balcony. Chris bit his lower lip and suddenly became somber enough for the young woman to notice his sudden mood drop. "Is there something wrong, Chris?" She asked as she took the last sip from her beer can. She kept a firm face and crushed the can before throwing it on a nearby trash bin, "I can tell that something's bothering you. Look, if it's something that you want to talk to me about I'll be listening whenever you're ready," Sherry turned to leave, but Chris suddenly spoke as she was about to go back inside.

"I'm not sure if you're the right person to talk to about this, but I know that you never judge people because of who they are on the outside."

Sherry reclaimed her place at the balcony and looked at Chris with caring eyes, "I'm here to listen, Chris. If it's a secret I will keep it, and if it's a problem I will try my best to help you with it."

A small smile crept on the older man's face, "thank you."

Sherry nodded and smiled back warmly, "so what is it that you want to talk to me about?"

"It's something that happened before I went back here at home—during the time when I had my temporary amnesia and wandered off somewhere in Europe. I was depressed about what happened to my men on that fateful day, and if things couldn't be any more worse; Albert and I had a big fight that almost ended up in us trying to kill each other once again before that."

"Why? What happened?"

"Trust issues. We misjudged each other and we were at the brink of calling it quits. I decided against it since I loved him more than anyone else could ever think of. I went to the mission, lost my men, and drank myself to death in that seedy bar in Europe. Needless to say I was hitting rock bottom, but someone saved me from hitting it hard."

"Is this person someone I met or knew?" Sherry was ready to give him a break if their conversation becomes too heavy, but she never had the chance as Chris mentioned an all-too familiar name and face.

"It's Piers. Piers Nivans," Chris replied as he shook his head almost in grief, "it should've never happened…"

Sherry finally laid a hand on his broad shoulders and asked him with deep sympathy, "where is he now?"

The young woman felt sorry for asking when she noticed that Chris almost burst out in tears. He was sober enough to talk to her with a lot of sense. She never meant to make him relive something that might be painful but he was also the one who asked for this, being it was one way of making him feel relieved.

"Piers… he didn't make it."

"Bless my soul. I'm so sorry, Chris, if there's any way that I can help…"

At this point Chris wanted to break down, but he still tried his best to regain his composure. He gave out a deep sigh and ignored the tears that threatened to streak his face if he lets it go, "I feel so damned guilty for his death—for doing things behind Albert. I'm so weak…"

Sherry placed a gentle hand on his shoulders, "if it's too much for you—"

Chris lightly removed the young woman's hand away from him and pinned his eyes to hers, "you're the only one who will ever understand."

His head spun and his thoughts were hazy. He never really relied heavily on alcohol before, but it just made him feel right for the past unknown number of months. He could barely remember anything. Hell, he couldn't even remember the people he was related to or why he was here on this godforsaken place. He sat alone in that bar, he lost count of the number of glasses that he had consumed and he wanted more. He ignored the thumping in his head—there was something inside him that he wanted to destroy by either passing out or dying. For some reason he couldn't bear to face himself and his own demons.

He asked for another glass from the woman who tended the bar but she refused. When he insisted on another glass, the woman spilled the drink all over him after he let out a slight insult. She told him to get the hell out of her bar but he said he had nowhere else to go. He also ignored some guy who complained about how hard it was to find a good steak around that place.

_He had nowhere else to go ;_ as the words kept echoing in his thoughts he felt more frustrated. He wanted to find out if this was really true or it's because he's just too lazy to try remembering certain things while his stress-induced amnesia consumed him and stopped him from doing so. He almost beat up a burly guy who pointed out that the bartender wanted him to leave by slamming him head-first onto a table. Just as he was about to crack his skull with the bottle he had in his hand, someone held his wrist to stop it, "never thought I'd find Chris Redfield wasting away in a shithole like this," the young man exclaimed angrily. For some reason, those words made Chris feel pathetic about himself while he realized that he was the same guy who complained about the steak earlier.

"Who the hell are you?" He asked as he swayed back and flopped himself onto a chair.

"Piers… Piers Nivans," the young man replied firmly, seating himself on another chair across the same table with Chris.

The name rung a bell, but it wasn't loud enough for him to remember who exactly this Piers guy is. "Never heard of ya," Chris replied, still feeling the buzz of alcohol and the sting of amnesia.

"How 'bout this," Piers whips out his phone and holds it against Chris, "you heard of this?"

"What is that?" He almost slurred upon seeing the pictures of an explosion on the screen.

"You really don't remember anything, do you?"

Chris wished that he did, until Piers spoke out another word, "_bioterrorism._"

"Bio…" a sharp pain stabbed his head before he could even repeat the word, images of phantom soldiers flashing in his mind.

"You can't hide from your past, Chris—no matter where you go or what you do."

"Who are you… what is this?"

"Okay, you don't remember me?" Piers fidgeted his phone impatiently, "well how about them?" He held the screen closer, "look."

Chris turned away, completely blowing off a fraction of the young man's patience, "I said look!"

Chris felt startled and had no choice but to do so.

"Those were your men… men who died under your command! You owe it to them to remember, Chris. If you walk away now then this was all for nothing!"

"Enough!" Chris yelled and slapped the phone away from him when the pressure became too much to handle. The pain in his head throbbed like hell, and he felt like he was going to pass out any second.

"Damn it. Six months of searching for you and this is what I find!" Piers exclaimed angrily as he toppled the empty liquor bottle with his hand. They both paused silently, trying to think over the other possible options out of the mess. Just when Piers thought about moving on to the drastic actions to make his captain remember, Chris noticed the letters on the emblem that was sewn onto the young man's sleeve. "BSAA…" He read.

Piers lit up, "yeah... it's where you belong… everyone's waiting."

"Everyone?" Chris asked quizzically.

Piers gave out a nod as some sort of a signal. The other men sitting around the bar rose up from their seats to join Piers as they stood behind him. "We're taking you back, captain. One way or another," he stated with strong determination. There was no way that they will lose Captain Redfield ever again, his heart be damned if he was going to allow that to happen.

_He_ will not lose _his _Captain again.


	10. Chapter 10

**X.**

The next morning, he woke up with a slight hangover. The curtains were still shut, and the cold darkness of the room made him feel distant and yearning for something that he wasn't sure of. He blinked his eyes a few more times before becoming fully awake. He still didn't get up though, and it took him a short while before finally realizing that an arm was draped across his chest.

He turned to his side to look, and was relieved to find the familiar presence of someone whom he shared last night with, and as memories came trickling slowly back into his mind, he remembered sharing a few more nights with him before. He studied his features and admired how peaceful and serene his young face looked like, wishing that he could be the same at some point in his life.

Piers breathed softly before forcing his eyes to open and check the bedside clock, "shit," he murmured, "good morning, captain," he greeted with a smile as he kissed Chris lightly on the cheek.

"Good morning to you too," he replied as he cupped the younger man's face, stroking it affectionately.

"How are you feeling?"

"Never been better thanks to you."

Piers smiled warmly, "you were great last night, captain."

"And so are you," Chris praised back as he recalled the events that happened between them last evening which started with a kiss so violent that he himself was surprised at where he got that ability from—and why he preferred it.

Their tongues explored each other's mouth and their bodies begged to be touched, setting fire through the cold night. Passions flaring and with desires burning, they drowned themselves in throes of pleasure. Piers missed his captain badly and he knew that if he didn't get another chance to be touched by _his _beloved captain it would shatter his mind into pieces.

He did his captain a favor by playing the role of his long-time lover Albert Wesker for one night. The fact was painful enough to think of, but he allowed himself to be some kind of a martyr because that man is temporarily non-existent in Chris' memory. God knows how much he loved his captain, and if ever things end up between Chris and Albert Wesker he would gladly catch up to keep him. He didn't remind Chris about the lover he had waiting worriedly back in the U.S though. He wasn't an advantageous person, but it was Captain Redfield who asked for it. He secretly thought of their intimacy as payment for keeping the secret of Wesker's real status from everyone, for he knew that the notorious blonde was wanted to each and every anti-bioterrorism group in the planet.

It didn't take long before both of them hit the bed. Piers gripped the sheets as pain and pleasure swept through him like a giant wave while his captain was thrusting into him rhythmically. The feeling of the older man being inside him was something that he would never replace anything with. He wanted him so badly that he wanted to crawl inside him and scream his name.

Finally relaxing after their love-making, he felt contented in relieving his captain of all the stress from the past months. He would have to face reality when Chris finally remembers Wesker soon—and face Chris when he confronts him about why he didn't say anything about it sooner. For now, they still basked in the afterglow and the cold morning.

Piers had brought him breakfast in his bed, and after Chris was done eating everything up he decided to nap, feeling drained from the previous days of heavy drinking and last night's "events". The young man left him as he was, deciding to fill up his position for the day and give him a break with Chris' permission.

As soon as he closed his eyes, another series of images flashed in his mind; causing him to toss and turn on the bed, struggling to break free from the embrace of his memory loss. He felt desperate and frustrated and unable to breathe—like he was drowning in a sea of those lost memories, as faces now showed up in his dream while they introduced themselves: a red-haired woman who bore a striking resemblance to him appeared to be looking down at him with a serene smile on her face, "hello Chris. Do you remember me now? I'm Claire, I'm your sister," she said.

He grimaced to her in his dream out of discernment, "my sister?"

"You have to remember, Chris. Please come back to us," she pleaded.

Another figure appeared out of the shadows, and this time it was a tall, blonde gentleman with sunglasses on over his fine features. He smiled at him, and his face flushed because he looked beautiful when he did that, "hello, Christopher. You had me worried for so long… I want you to come back." The blonde gentleman leaned closer and kissed him as the woman who calls herself as his sister smiled approvingly, "I miss you, big bro," she said.

"And I miss you too, Christopher. Come back home… come back to me," the blonde man pleaded as he sat beside him and cupped his face, "do you remember me?" He asked hopefully.

Chris was stunned, and shook his head in frustration, "who are you?! Please… help me remember! What's your name?"

Another beautiful smile crept upon the handsome blonde's face, "Albert Wesker. That's my name. You're the only one who knows about me, so keep it a secret to the others, alright? I will be waiting for you."

Suddenly the two figures started to dissipate like smoke, he remembered himself screaming and calling out their names as they disappeared back into the darkness. He finally woke up after acquiring another piece of the puzzle that was his lost thoughts, "Albert Wesker… Claire," he repeated. He knew that today is going to be the day to find out more about his self.

He shot up, dressed quickly, and decided to find Piers to talk to him in private. He was a little pissed off at why the young ace didn't tell him anything about this Claire or Albert Wesker, and felt that he was hiding something from him. Whatever the reason is, he will find out soon as he breezed through the hallways. He bumped against some of the men from last night and asked them where Piers was, and they told him that he was in his room doing some reports and other paperwork. After one of them told him that he was in "room number 267" he left in a hurry. He was growing impatient and suddenly there was this empty, hollow feeling inside him.

He knocked on room 267 and Piers opened up. From the expression drawn on Chris' face, he knew that he had to talk, "come on in, captain," he said as he gave way for the bigger man. As soon as he got in, he went straight to the point, "is there something that you need to tell me, Piers?"

Piers looked away and walked over to the night stand, crossing his arms and sighing, "I was afraid that this is coming."

"Why? Why did you have to hide things from me? Who is Claire and who is Albert Wesker?"

Piers didn't answer instantly as he looked back right at his captain's eyes, "how did you find out about them?"

"I just had a dream and they were in it!"

"What if they were just a dream after all?" He knew that driving the conversation the other way around was futile. He had to admit to himself that he was selfish and somewhat possessive, and his attempts of canning the conversation went flat as Chris suddenly approached him and held him by the shoulders angrily. "I don't want any bullshit between us, Piers. Who are they?" Chris said through gritted teeth; he had enough of the lies and he isn't going to allow the man to drive him through it once again.

Piers felt defeated. He didn't want to let go of his captain, but he was with those people first, and he was a kind and good-hearted man. He knew that one way of proving that he loved his captain was to be honest with him. If they can't be lovers right now, they'd have to be friends at the very least so that he'd have a better chance in the future. "I'm so sorry, captain," his voice was small and apologetic. Chris felt his sincerity and felt sorry because he snapped at him so quickly.

Finally letting go of the smaller man, hot tears almost welled up in his eyes as he put his hands on his hips and turned his back against the young man. "I'm so sick of it all, Piers," he said.

"I know, and I'm so sorry captain," he repeated. He went back to his makeshift desk and rummaged through some of the papers scattered around it. He pulled out two folders out of the clutter and handed it to Chris, "this is everything you need to know… and remember."

Chris reluctantly accepted it and skimmed through its contents before closing it again, "and how about those names I mentioned a while ago, is there any information about them inside these folders?"

Piers nodded silently. This was it—his role as the captain's lover is finally over in a flash; but he wasn't going to let him go without a thought, "captain…"

"What is it?" Chris replied before he got himself to leave.

"I love you," the young man said meekly.

Chris slowly nodded in acknowledgement, "if my dream a while ago was true, now's not the time for that, Piers."

Piers smiled weakly, "yeah, I just wanted to let you know. And don't worry about Albert Wesker; he's always going to be kept as a secret."

"Thank you," Chris said and was replied with a soft "don't worry 'bout it" before he left the room to go back to his own. Chris decided that whatever he and Piers had together will never get between them when they finally get back to the field, and just like with Albert, their fling would also be a secret to everyone in the BSAA.

Back in the solitude of his room, Chris sat down and read the files through impatiently until he finally came to the page that contained the information about his sister, Claire Redfield. He felt a sudden contentment and happiness when he found out that he wasn't alone after all. Along with Claire's information he learned about Raccoon City and what he used to be, and the rest of the memories attached to that information streamed in automatically.

It was now Albert Wesker's turn to be discovered. He read the pages and found out why he was a secret to everyone. He was surprised to find out how he loved a man that evil and how they were still together before he wandered off six months ago. A sharp pain pierced through him again and more memories flashed and poured through the cracks, and then the pain was replaced with a severe longing. He slammed his fist on the table, suddenly filled with strong determination and eagerness to go back to his waiting lover. "I'm going home… no matter what happens," he said to himself.

Meanwhile, Piers couldn't stop smiling at himself as soon as Chris closed the door behind him as he left. He felt genuinely happy for helping his captain in his own way. The young man wasn't bitter, but he was hopeful. He felt his captain's sincerity when he made that silent promise of keeping him when things are over between Chris and Albert Wesker. He was too positive, until that hope died away with him deep in that cold, black, watery abyss months later.


	11. Chapter 11

**XI.**

Chris and Sherry bid a good night to each other as the young woman retired to her room, planning on crashing hard after a long day. She was glad that Chris opened up and trusted her, and she had never been happier to give him a reassurance that things would be alright as long as Chris keeps himself together for the ones that he loved.

Chris felt great too after letting out things from his chest; at least he killed off some of the guilt that he's been keeping all along. He went back to the living room and to his present life with the man he really loved, and didn't really expect that man to be sitting on the sofa watching the evening news silently.

"Hey baby," he greeted as he flopped himself beside the blonde, "why are you suddenly interested on watching the news now?"

Wesker didn't answer and turned to face him instead, "it's what old men do."

"You're the one who brought that to yourself. I don't think of you that way, in all honesty. You don't look like a day over fifty."

The older man gave out a seductive grin, "oh really?"

Chris moved even closer, "from that look on your face, you seem like you're asking me to prove it."

"Well not really, but that's not a bad idea," Wesker said, draping an arm over his lover's stomach.

"You don't say," the younger man replied as he started kissing the blonde slowly. Chris needed a distraction from his previous confessions to Sherry and knew how much he needed something to happen between him and Albert tonight just to cleanse himself off of the guilt.

The brunette reached for the TV remote blindly to turn it off before reaching up inside his lover's shirt to feel the smooth, toned skin underneath it. He grabbed a fistful of his blonde locks as their kissing grew heatedly. He then proceeded to mouth the sides of his neck while a soft moan escaped Albert's lips as he held on to the younger man's neck tightly.

Their kissing became more passionate, completely forgetting about the main rule of the house which is decency, and completely forgetting that they were in the part of the house where its other inhabitants may walk in on them freely. It wasn't long before someone actually did, "oh shit," Jake exclaimed with a clear look of shock and embarrassment on his face, "couldn't you guys find the way to your room or something?" His eyes narrowed, slowly stepping back and wishing that he should have never went outside of his room earlier on.

Chris remembered what Sherry had told him and quickly pushed Albert away from him as the blonde fell off to the floor with a loud thud, "Chris you insolent fool!" He exclaimed angrily as he quickly got up and glared at his lover.

"Oh fuck, I'm so sorry baby! Shit… Jake, I'm so sorry! We got too carried away and…"

"It's cool," Jake tried to react, trying to command his brain to forget what he just saw.

"You! Why are you still up and bout when you should have gone to bed?!" Wesker seethed as soon as he got into a full standing position, pointing at his son accusingly.

"I couldn't sleep, dad," Jake replied, feeling smaller against his old man's suddenly commanding presence.

"Are you expecting me to sing you a lullaby and read you a bedtime story? GO BACK TO BED!" Wesker roared; concealing his own embarrassment as his cheeks flushed red. He didn't want to be overly-aggressive and hostile as a parent to the son that he just met, but he wasn't used to being seen by his own during a supposedly intimate and sensual moment.

"Jeez, fine!" The younger Wesker held up his hands in defeat and did what he was told, running back upstairs with a sheepish look on his face.

Back in the living room, Albert stomped off from Chris to call it a night, "and you, you self-righteous fool… if you want sex forget about it, you were too rude!"

"I didn't mean it, Al! I'm sorry, I was startled by Jake! Please!"

"Shut up!"

And on that night, the couch accommodated Chris as he missed all the action that he had waited for as he snored away bitterly, blaming himself of his own stupidity.

The next morning before going to breakfast, Jake saw Sherry as soon as she stepped out from her room and babbled continuously about what he saw last night, "it was the scariest shit of my life," he exclaimed with unusually wide eyes.

"Doesn't make a difference to me, I've seen worse," Sherry replied nonchalantly as she brushed off past Jake.

"But you don't understand, I—"

"Our dads were once lovers for your information," Sherry stated proudly as she turned to snap at the young man, "and I accidentally walked in on them doing something more than kissing if you know what I mean…"

Jake's mouth dropped open and his mouth went dry.

"And it's about time you know, kiddo; your dad got together with _my _dad before he even met your mom or Chris."

Jake replied with a blank stare, causing Sherry to giggle because she thought that the boy looked a little like a village idiot.

"I'll see you on the table." And with that Sherry ran downstairs to join Chris and her Uncle Al.

"Un-fucking believable," Jake shook his head and had no choice but to slowly trail Sherry from behind.

"Good morning, guys!" Sherry greeted cheerfully as soon as she got into the dining room and was replied with a nod from Chris and Albert. She noticed the silence between the two men, but didn't dare ask what the matter was. Jake soon joined them and quietly sat down, grabbing a slice of grapefruit and a glass of orange juice.

"How was your sleep last night, Sherry?" Wesker asked while reading the morning paper.

"It was really nice. The bed was awesome and I couldn't have been any more relaxed. How about you, Jake?" She turned to the boy with a knowing smile on her face, remembering what he had told her a while ago.

Jake coughed lightly, "it was uh… good. It was all good," he replied distantly.

"Bacon is good," Sherry added randomly as she placed generous strips on her plate, "bacon _was never _bad."

After breakfast, Sherry dragged Jake along to the mall to go shopping, in which the boy had reluctantly agreed. He wanted to take a slice of his new life and discover what the rest of this new town and its people had to offer anyway.

Finally left alone in the house, Chris decided to step up and have a talk with Albert, who was still holding a cup of coffee while sitting on a bean chair by the pool. Before he could even speak, the blonde motioned for him to sit down. "Look, I'm really sorry about last night. I should've act more controlled."

"Forget about it, I was on it too."

It was strange how Wesker could easily forgive things right now, but Chris was glad that it became part of his new image. He wasn't about to let go of the fact that nothing happened last night though. He only has a week before his leave is finally over and he wanted to make the most out of it by spending more time with his lover and his new-found family. Besides, his birthday was approaching on that same week and he is in the middle of making a big decision—one that would change their lives forever and hopefully, one that would make him a happier man by being comfortable of who he really is. "Jake and Sherry are out of the house," Chris said suggestively.

"And what are you implying?"

"So… maybe we could finally find our way to the bedroom… and spend some _alone time_ with each other?"

Wesker smiled, "you pervert."

After three hours, Jake and Sherry came back; both feeling elated because they wound down from the stress of the past days and months by shopping. What made Jake even giddier as a schoolgirl was the fact his dad gave him a big chunk of allowance as a way of 'making things better'. The best part was his dad promised to get him a car, and he almost wanted to run naked through the neighborhood, his imagination suddenly filled with images of him driving a fancy Porsche or something else that's as expensive with the lovely Sherry Birkin on the passenger seat.

Before Jake became too lost in his thoughts he heard Sherry run back to her room first, excitedly announcing that she was going to sort her purchases through and Jake said that he'd do the same and followed suit a few minutes later. Just as he was about to open the door to his room it was done for him by a disheveled Chris with his equally disheveled and half-naked father trailing behind, "'sup, Jake?" Chris greeted as if nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Jake's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, "what the hell happened in there?" He asked alarmingly as he dropped the bags that contained his purchased stuff on the floor.

"Sorry, our bedroom was too far from where we were a while ago," Chris apologized as he stepped past him.

"Did you guys just have sex in my damn room?!" Jake yelled as his cheeks felt hot with embarrassment.

"To cut it short yeah, we did. Sorry, man," Chris smiled cockily.

"Don't give me that look, dude. I ain't gonna sleep on a bed full of body fluids!"

"I'll call a cleaning lady to take care of the mess, Jake. Don't worry about it, besides I gave you a lot to spend today," Wesker said proudly.

"Is this some sort of a bribe? Dad, c'mon! Chris? What the hell guys! Where's your dignity?!" Jake panicked.

"I SAID I'LL GET A CLEANING LADY! WHY ARE YOU SO STUBBORN?" Wesker wailed with an unusually high-pitched voice that surprised both Chris and Jake and made Sherry poke her head from her room's doorframe upon hearing it. "Is everything fine out there?" She asked.

"Yes," the three men chorused.

"Oh, okay," Sherry replied as she disappeared back inside.

"In the meantime, why don't you take care of those things first, son?" Wesker now exclaimed with a calm demeanor.

Jake nodded with his mouth open, an unwelcome trait that he had developed since he started living in that house, "I will, dad… I will," he replied, recalling what his mother told him about how pregnant women have bad mood swings while they were at it.


	12. Chapter 12

**XII.**

The next day, Chris woke up to his mobile phone ringing softly. He knew better not to turn the volume up to avoid a grumpy blonde lover who can have ten thousand fits all day because of a rude awakening. "Oh crap," he cursed under his breath when he saw his sister's name on the screen. While coming out to her was one if his big plans for the following week, he didn't expect himself to unfold it way too soon. Of course he missed his sister and looked forward to talk to her, so he had no choice but to answer it; "Chrissy-boy!" A familiar high-pitched voice greeted enthusiastically on the other line.

"Hey lil' sis, how's everything goin'?" He replied, trying his best to brush off the sleep from his eyes.

"Thank goodness I finally had the chance to call you. I miss you so much! You absolutely have no idea how much I wanted to see you."

"I miss you just the same, Claire. Where are you right now?"

"California. I've been holing up here for the past year or so, I really like the sun and the nice weather."

"I'm just glad that I was able to hear from my baby sister again," Chris smiled.

"Aw, you're still that sweet brother of mine."

"Some things never change, Claire. So… have you found a guy for you yet?"

Claire laughed heartily on the other line, a sound that Chris missed badly so he made sure that his ears were pressed hard against his phone to get an earful of it, "oh my god, Chris. I'm sorry, it's just… it's just so amazing that you still cared about that! Anyway, I don't know… I mean, I don't know if he's the one for me yet, you hear? I like to take things slow. What I really want is to be there for you for as long as I can—that is if you haven't found a girl for yourself yet."

Chris' smile faded. He pondered if he's going to come out to her right now over the phone, but he wanted to do it properly. He decided for a quick change of topic instead, "hey listen; is there any chance that we can meet up?"

"Meet up? That's ridiculous, Chris. I want to come over! I want to be with you, bro. Have you forgotten about that promise you made when we were in that shithole called Rockfort Island? That place is a bitch! Anyway, thing is I haven't got your address just yet… you know I haven't heard anything from you in a long time."

Chris suddenly froze. He made sure that his line wasn't tapped and invisible to the tracking devices set up by the BSAA, but that wasn't why he started to sweat like a horse. The fact that his sister was coming over with Wesker living with him made him a nervous wreck. He knows how much Claire hated the blonde for hurting her once and for trying to kill her brother before. He could explain everything, but knowing Claire he also knew that it would take an extra effort to get through her.

He can't tell her a fake address; besides of the fact that he wanted to see her he didn't want to blow off his cover too early. He was a bad liar as Sherry previously pointed out, and Claire knows if he was hiding something just from the tone of his voice. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. When he thought that he wasn't shaky enough, he gave out their address. He readied himself for whatever may happen. He made sure that Claire wouldn't give his location to anybody, and Claire understood because she knew the nature of her brother's work.

"I'll see you in three days, Chrissy-boy!" Claire squealed.

"Alright, sis… you take care of yourself for me, okay?"

"You bet your ass I will," Claire playfully mocked, "do the same for me too."

Chris laughed weakly, "okay… goodbye."

"Bye!" Claire hung up, leaving Chris bothered and uneasy. He put his phone back in its place on the bedside table, almost wishing that he didn't answer the call; but if he didn't act on it soon he may never get the chance to deal with those issues ever. He sighed and ran a hand through his head, glancing at Albert whom he thought was still sleeping soundly with his back turned against him until he spoke, "so she's coming over," he said.

Chris was caught by surprise, "probably," he replied hoping to lighten up his answer.

"Are you scared?"

The brunette paused before giving out another reply, "I think so."

"I thought so too. I can go somewhere else if you like; I'll leave Jake to you while I'm away."

Wesker's proposition alarmed Chris, "no! No, baby, I won't let you do that—hey, could you please turn and look at me?"

The blonde did so and rested his head on his palm, "and why wouldn't you? Claire is mad at me and she'll probably feel the same for you for living with 'the most homicidal bastard on the planet' who tried to kill the both of you."

"That was in the past, Al! I can't go on living with whatever shit that happened between us before. Claire's a smart woman, trust me! She'll understand soon enough, but…"

Wesker raised a questioning eyebrow.

"But you have to help me get through for her to understand."

"So you want me to apologize?"

Chris was taken aback, forgetting how sharp his lover was. "Yes."

The older man sat up, revealing more of his nudity underneath the sheets; "consider it done."

"Just like that?"

"What else do you want me to do? Do you like me to bake her a cake with the words _'I'm Sorry'_ written on it? Or kneel and beg in front of her while allowing her to beat me to a pulp? The damage has been done, Chris. It's really up to her discretion whether to forgive me or not. All I can offer her is a sincere apology for closure."

"Baking a cake for my sister isn't a bad idea—especially if it's chocolate, that's her favorite."

He got a smack on the face with a pillow as an answer.

For some reason after breakfast, Chris decided to go somewhere with Sherry tagged along. Neither of them told the other men where they were going, and only Sherry knew Chris' real purpose as it was one of the things that they talked about just the other night at the balcony.

Left alone for some quality father-son time in Jake's opinion, he decided to bother his dad a little. He found him typing something on his laptop on the grandest house office that he's ever seen. It was surrounded by innumerable books and boasted off a lot of grandeur with its decorations and large paintings. "Jesus Christ I can't believe I live here," Jake exclaimed as he let himself in through the open door.

"Excuse me?" Wesker said from behind the large ebony desk, "you didn't make your presence known properly."

"Sorry dad. Do you mind if I speak to you for a moment?"

Wesker sighed, "not at all, dear. Take a seat."

Jake sat down while his eyes wandered around the room, "how many books are exactly on those shelves?"

"I lost count. Many of those were already here when Chris and I moved in, and I added up to it gradually as time went by."

"Wow. I wonder how you manage to maintain these things."

"We hire someone to do that for us. What is it that you want to talk to me about anyway?"

"Oh, right… it's not really that of a big deal but I just want to know if what Sherry had told me yesterday was true."

"What is it that she told you about?"

"About you and her dad…"

Wesker stopped typing, making Jake feel tense. He felt that he struck a chord there and regretted ever asking that question. He didn't expect a small grin on his father's face afterwards, relieving him.

"She told you about William?" He said, eyeing his son with a raised brow.

"Well, not that much; I didn't even know her dad's name until you said it now. Does talking about him bother you? I'll leave."

"No, Jake. It doesn't bother me. What happened in the past should remain in the past, and he's just a part of my life now."

"What was he like?"

"He's crazy but I loved that side of him until it went over the top. He married Sherry's mother, Annette because she's the only one crazy enough to stand up with him. We still continued with our relationship nonetheless."

"Behind his wife's back?"

"That woman stole William from me, and the bastard let it happen."

"Do you hate them?"

"Not anymore. They're both dead anyway," Wesker stated as-a-matter-of-factly and went back to typing.

"How about mom? How did you guys get to know each other?"

"She was an immigrant here in the U.S... until one day I felt rebellious and decided to try the opposite gender for myself because that's what William just did. I don't want to sound like a drama queen but I was so bitter after he left."

"So… was I some kind of a mistake or an accident? I mean, you were hating so much during that time."

"No, please don't misunderstand me. I really planned on having a child because I had… schemes… before. I didn't want to grow old alone and I needed someone to continue whatever I started, but your mother left while she was pregnant with you and never came back. Not even a phone call was made. She didn't even tell me that she was pregnant either."

Jake mouthed the words "okay, so it was kind of mom's fault" before he continued with his onslaught of questions. "Dad, I hope that you don't take any offense but I thought that gays only want men and only adopt children from Asia or some other continent?"

Wesker winced, causing Jake to set his other foot outwards to get ready in case he needed to run.

"To be honest I felt dirty and awkward after I had your mother."

Jake laughed in relief, "you never had girlfriends before William?"

"I had William when I was eighteen. He was my first and I thought he was also going to be my last. He was two years younger than me."

"Oh, I see. So when did you realize?"

"Realize what?"

"That you liked men and not women?"

"When I met William..."

"That guy really is something, isn't he?"

Wesker nodded, feeling secretly delighted that his son was finally getting to know more about him.

"How did he die? I mean, how exactly? Sherry told me that his own experiment killed him, but that was about it."

Wesker stopped whatever he was doing once again and looked up to face Jake, "I'd rather not talk about it."

Jake felt somber, "I'm sorry if I was insensitive dad." He read the pain that his father felt when that subject came up by the sharp expression on his face. He really should change that part of himself.

"You're an exception Jake. I may not have loved your mother like I loved the men in my life, but… ah, shit. It's too embarrassing for me to say."

The younger Wesker grinned sheepishly, "don't worry… I get it, dad. You don't have to say anything because I can feel it."

"That pleases me enough. Now run along, I have to finish this quickly."

Jake nodded and stood up, "see ya later," he bid as he left, feeling more complete and content about himself.


	13. Chapter 13

**EDIT: I have added a few tweaks to this chapter today and re-wrote some things. Sorry for the inconvenience!**

* * *

**XIII.**

The past three days filled Chris with a lot of dread. Claire is about to arrive soon, and she refused to be picked up from the airport and said that she prefers a cab to build up more excitement.

Chris paced around the house nervously, with his hands on his hips and occasionally running a hand through his hair. Wesker noticed his uneasiness and groaned when it bothered him, "would you please sit down, Christopher? It's annoying," he said astutely.

"But I don't know what to do!" Chris replied, barely stopping in front of his lover to finish his sentence.

"You should think about it calmly. How about reconsidering my proposition of leaving you for a while?"

"Al, c'mon… I don't even know how long she'll stay! I can't stand being away from you for too long."

"Stop being so cheesy, Chris. Why can't you just tell me that you still don't trust me that much?"

"Don't start, Albert. I trust you with all my heart, no shit. I just want to end all the conspiracies from my sister, that's all!"

Sherry suddenly came running from wherever she is to join Chris and Wesker on their conversation, "did I hear you guys right? Is Claire coming over today?" She squealed excitedly.

"Yeah," Chris answered dryly.

Sherry suddenly realized where Chris was coming from and sat down beside Wesker, who crossed his arms in contemplation.

"I can help you explain, Chris," Sherry offered.

"Thanks," the brunette smiled weakly with a little of his hopes up.

"Where's Jake by the way?" Wesker asked.

"He said that he's going for a jog around the neighborhood," Sherry replied.

"Hey guys," Jake greeted as if on cue as he walked in, "why is everybody wearing a long face today? Did something happen?" He narrowed his brows when he noticed that everyone was thinking something out seriously.

"Chris is having a problem coming out to his sister… and how to tell her that your dad is living with him," Sherry answered in behalf of the two men.

"What's wrong with dad living with Chris, huh?" Jake asked with new curiosity.

"Another fact, son—I once held Chris' sister as a hostage," Wesker replied flatly with Chris and Sherry both nodding in acknowledgement.

Jake had a look of apprehension on his face, "no shit?"

"And I kicked her once while I threatened to kill her brother, but I swear I regret it now."

"Okay, I gotta admit I still get pretty pissed off everytime I remember that," Chris said with a straight face.

Wesker crossed his legs, "oh?"

"Hey, big guy—dad said he regrets it now, you hear?" Jake said in defense of his father.

"Yes Jake, I _heard_. That was a brotherly sentiment," Chris replied firmly.

The younger Wesker joined Sherry and his father on the sofa; the three of them watched Chris in slight amusement while he tapped his foot anxiously as if he was on a staged play.

"Well, are you guys having fun staring at me as I melt into a nervous wreck? Help me out here, please!" Chris said impatiently.

"I'll greet her on the door first," Sherry suggested, "then you greet her in the hallway."

Chris stared dumbfounded at the young woman, "are you serious?"

Jake stifled a snicker but Wesker elbowed him. Sherry rolled her eyes, "that would give things a softer landing."

Chris didn't have time to disagree as the doorbell started ringing. Sherry smiled and stood up, "remember the first phase of our plan," she said in full confidence. The last line sounded familiar to Wesker and he tensed in his seat.

Chris tried to stop her, "I didn't even agree on that!"

"You're gonna do it because you have no choice."

Chris sighed, dropping his arms to his sides and feeling stupid for even actually doing what the young woman had so shallowly suggested. Feeling desperate enough, he decided to give it a shot in hopes of the 'plan' to actually work. He watched Sherry disappear to the hall leading to the main door and followed behind. His palms went sweaty as he controlled his breathing to calm down, rummaging his mind of how he should start the revelations. "_This is it… you can do it you sneaky bastard_," Chris thought to himself.

Sherry was all smiles as she opened the door to reveal an older-looking, but nevertheless still beautiful Claire Redfield beaming like the sun at the sight of a full-grown Sherry.

"Well look who's here too!" She exclaimed as she hugged Sherry tightly, her mind suddenly flooded with memories of when the lovely young woman was still little and meek back in '98.

"Claire! I missed you so much!" Sherry hugged her back before facing her, "your brother's waiting for you inside, and there's a bonus."

"A bonus?" Claire asked in amazement.

"He wants to introduce you to some people! Now, let's head inside shall we? I'll take care of your other suitcase," Sherry said cheerfully as she lifted one of the redhead's light suitcases.

"Why thank you," Claire replied with a light-hearted laugh as she picked up her other luggage and followed Sherry inside. She felt more excited with that statement, half-expecting to be introduced to a girlfriend or a fiancé after so many years. Her brother deserved to be happy, and she thought that whoever the woman he chose to be with is a lucky one. She also expected it to be Jill Valentine, her brother's longtime colleague. She should know him good enough and she heard nothing but good things about her.

"Since when was my brother able to afford luxuries such as this?" Claire wondered as she eyed the whole place in awe.

"With a little help from someone," Sherry replied.

"Oh."

Claire's face lit up as soon as her brother's imposing figure greeted them at the end of the hallway. He was older now, but his good looks were never gone in her honest opinion. She threw herself onto him and hugged him as tight as she could, "Chrissy-boy!" She squealed. Sherry looked at the sibling's happy reunion and thought about what to do next.

"I'll have to excuse myself, guys!" Sherry said as she left for the living room where Jake and Albert were. She would give them a little pep talk and give them a few more reminders. Claire nodded at her and waved a little as a way of saying 'see you later.'

"I missed you so much, bro! I'll never get tired of repeating that," Claire jumped, "who would've thought you'll live in a house like this now? Our folks would be proud of ya," she said somberly.

"I do hope so," Chris replied with a hint of anxiousness coloring his words. His guts turned, and he felt like there were about a hundred monster-sized butterflies fluttering in his stomach. His nerves were tingling and he was almost breaking into cold sweat as the moment that he had been dreading came closer. He meant to reveal one of his biggest secrets as soon as possible because he felt like he was being choked up and isolated. If there was something that he needed to do before he kicks the bucket, it's to let the closest person to him know who he really is. Never turning back and disregarding the possible outcomes, he sighed heavily and mustered all of the remaining confidence inside him; "Claire, before anything else I want to tell you something, but you have to promise me…"

Claire suddenly grew serious, "promise you what?"

"That you would never hate me for who I am…"

The redhead stiffened and her instincts poked her, "Chris, I can never hate you. That would be the death of me. I'm all ears, tell me anything!"

Her older brother's eyebrows met in the middle as pleading eyes looked at Claire through and through. She held both of her brother's hands to ease him up, "what is it Chris?" Her tone was comforting enough.

"I'm sorry for not being the brother you always thought I seemed to be…"

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't the man I thought I was all along."

Claire squeezed his hand tighter, "I'm your sister, Chris. Please tell me anything that's bothering you."

"I'm…" Chris paused and his next word shook,"… gay."

His younger sister's eyes widened in sheer disbelief, and her lips slowly contorted into a wide smile, "whoa! Why didn't you tell me before?" She exclaimed. She didn't have the slightest idea that her brother swung the other way all these years. It wasn't really a big deal, but she was still surprised nonetheless—amused at the fact that the girls whom she knew liked Chris before were barking up at the wrong tree after all.

"I was too scared to let you or anyone else know, that's why. Are you okay with it?"

Claire gave him a sucker-punch, "do you really think I was one of those narrow-minded idiots back in Raccoon? That offends me, you know!"

"Well I—"

"You're brave in so many ways, Chris. That was uncalled for, but I bet mom and pops are proud because you were man enough to face the truth about yourself. It doesn't make you a lesser person; you're brave and kind and you care for those you love; that's all that matters… and I'm proud of you too, big bro."

"Really?" For the first time in days Chris finally managed to smile genuinely.

"I couldn't have been any more prouder of ya," Claire hugged her brother once again; this time it was comforting and reassuring, and she was so happy for his new self-discovery. She thought how hard it must have been to hide who you really are in such a judgmental society. She wiped a tear from her eye and switched to a lighter mood, "Sherry told me that you'll introduce me to someone," she smiled, still holding on to her brother by the shoulders, "who's the lucky guy?"

"So you aren't upset that it's a man?"

Claire snickered and shared a wise statement for the older Redfield to go by; "love doesn't limit itself to anything, big bro… you loved a person, not a gender,"—and she loved her brother no matter what his preference is. She would always be there to support him as he goes through everything. Whatever makes Chris happy would make her happy just the same.

The coming out went great, but now he wasn't sure how Claire would handle things when he finally introduces her to the man who swore death to the both of them before—and to the man who is also the love of his life.

* * *

**Thanks for keeping up! I will update as soon as I can. :-)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Happy holidays everybody! Here are new chapters for the season. Please enjoy. :)**

* * *

**XIV.**

Every step felt heavy as Chris held his breath. He wasn't quite sure how to handle the things that might transpire when he finally introduces his sister to Wesker as his lover. Every fiber and sinew in his body felt like jelly while he entertained the thought of Claire disowning him; she may have accepted her brother with open arms because that's just who he is, but accepting Albert Wesker as her brother's lover is a different story because of _who he was._

Beads of sweat dotted Chris' forehead as his imagination went vivid with worst-case scenarios. If it wasn't for Sherry greeting them first as soon as they stepped into the living room, Claire would've gone haywire in a flash.

The redhead didn't confront Wesker directly. She eyed him suspiciously and narrowed her eyebrows in pure confusion and disappointment at why he was sitting on the sofa when he was supposed to be dead. An angry look crossed her features as she leaned close to Sherry and whispered a question in her ear, "what is he doing here?" She asked in a venomous tone.

"Please let your brother explain," Sherry replied auspiciously, hoping that nothing untoward will happen as the events unfold as she held out both of her hands in front of Claire who suddenly snapped at Chris; "what the hell is this supposed to mean? I can and I _will_ accept you no matter who you are, but I think I have a say on the people you need to have connections to!"

"I'm really sorry if I didn't tell you right away sis, but believe me—he's completely changed! He meant no harm to me or to anyone anymore…"

"Of course! Anyone who had their bloodlusts fulfilled would surely have enough at this point, and I can't understand why you chose to be with him out of all people!" Claire was yelling and almost wheezing while she remembered what happened to her while she was in captivity at Rockfort Island. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Chris? He tried to kill you a million times and killed countless others, and yet you still managed to breathe the same air as this heartless bastard? Look at him! He may have brainwashed you for Christ's sakes! You must be knocked off a pretty good number of times if you think you love him, bro!"

"Excuse me, Miss Redfield…" Jake piped in, "can I say something?"

"And who the hell is this?" Claire pointed at the younger Wesker.

"I'm sorry, my name's Jake and I am the heartless bastard's son," he emphasized. Although Claire's furious sentiments weren't directed at him, he could feel how ashamed and hurt his father must be right now and he was starting to get pissed off. Currently, Wesker just sat still while his lover's sister lashed out. He had anticipated this way before, and what was unfolding before him right now didn't come out as a surprise anymore.

"A spawn? This is some crazy-ass shit right here, kid. Why don't you just stay away from this? I assume you weren't even capable enough to walk properly when all of the messy shit happened in me and my brother's lives because of your old man—and if one sick psycho wasn't even enough to corrupt this world!"

"I'm sorry, but if I heard you right a while ago, being my father's son I also have the right to say anything in his defense…"

"You don't know anything about the abominations that your father has done, and I can't believe that he had a son, Lord have mercy!" Claire exclaimed as she looked above.

"Yeah, you're right—but I do know one thing; behind the monstrosity that my father once was is a person who still feels things. He treated my mother nicely and he loved me, I think that's enough to prove that he still has his emotions intact. He may be evil and his crimes may be unforgivable, but doesn't he deserve another chance being back to the human that he was?"

"I wonder if you'd still the same thing if you were in our situation…"

"Maybe not, but I'd keep my mind and my eyes open. There's some sort of philosophy that we all live by in this house—don't dwell in the past because it eats you up so you can't move on. Why don't you just do the same, Ms. Redfield? I don't expect you to forgive my father, but can you just get things over with? The damage has been done, and I don't think any amount of moping and bitterness would change whatever happened before."

"How can I trust someone like you or your father? For all I know you're just another bastard who'll continue raising hell in this world while you sit on the top of a pile of dead bodies, and God knows what both of you are planning behind my brother's back!"

Chris let his sister speak her mind, after all she had every right to, but she once told him that he deserved to be happy—and he _is_ happy. He thinks that she's said enough, and he will stand up for Wesker this time because right now he's the reason for him to feel that way. He held his hands up and bellowed "enough!" just in time before she passes out in anger.

"Fifteen years, Claire," Chris said calmly, "I have waited for fifteen years just to be with the person whom I will spend the rest of my life with, and now that I've found him nobody's gonna take him away from me."

"Chris, big bro… You must be out of your freaking mind!"

"Not even you, Claire. I waited all my life for him to be mine, and he could've easily killed me before now that we gained each other's trust, but he did nothing. I won't let all of my waiting go to waste… and I say again, not even you would take him from me."

The redhead froze, completely appalled and in sheer disbelief at her brother's words. What has Wesker done to him that he was to the point of being obsessed at the infamous blonde murderer? She tried to open her mouth to say something but Chris cut her off, "I deserved to be happy; you keep telling me that, and he's the one who makes me happy. He's completely changed, Claire; he was sorry and for four years I'm pretty sure he's proved everything that he needs to prove. Fifteen years of trying to kill each other only made us stronger. We've known each other's bad side for so long and it's about time we experience the good, you feel me? We aren't getting any younger and all we want is to be happy and content before we settle in six feet underground."

"And how about those innocent people he's killed before? Are you gonna let it off just like that?"

"What's done is done, sis. We all wish to turn back time and correct our mistakes, but it's time to face reality that all we could do is to learn from it. Surely what he did was petrifying, but people change and all we had to do is to give 'em another chance. We gotta live with it, lil' sis, that's how it is."

Claire sighed heavily and shot a glare at Wesker, "why don't you speak for yourself? I wanna hear what you have to say about this instead of putting words into my brother's mouth."

"It's not words that I put into your brother's mouth, Claire," Wesker replied coolly, giving off a malicious hint to his words. Apparently everyone understood his blunt joke; Chris blushed while Sherry and Jake covered their mouths to muffle out a snicker which seemed out of place in the serious situation.

Claire's pressure shot up, "I'm tired of your bullshit Albert Wesker!" She exclaimed fiercely in a way that was identical to her brother when angry.

Wesker dismissed Claire's notion and went on to his little speech, "just like what my son had said, I don't expect you to forgive me, but I truly am very sorry for all of the misunderstandings between us. I swear that if only I could've done things way differently. It may be too late but it's better to be late than never, I suppose," Wesker stood up and faced Claire, "I'm truly, truly sorry. You have every right to be angry and I will respect that. I, however, would be happy if you can at least accept my apology, otherwise at least I gave you the message."

Claire saw a hint of sincerity in his words. She still doesn't trust him fully, but she sensed something different about his aura. She can't let her guard down though, and she can't accept things that easily, but looking at everybody's sympathizing faces she knew that she had to listen to her brother and give the cheeky bastard a chance even if it was against her true will.

"Please, Claire. I couldn't believe it myself when I learned that Uncle Al is living with your brother, but they are in love. Isn't it a beautiful thing? All we need is to let go and enjoy what the rest of our lives have to offer," Sherry said, putting a calm hand on Claire's shoulder.

"I will keep an eye on you, Wesker," she replied, putting off Sherry's reassuring words, "and I will kill you at once should you do anything to my brother."

"Suit yourself, Miss Redfield," Wesker wore his signature grin and crossed his arms as if accepting the challenge.

"And you better not get in the way, Wesker's son," she turned her sharp gaze on Jake.

"My name's Jake, Chris' sister…" the young man said and was answered by a grunt from Claire.

When Chris felt that the heat has settled down he offered Claire her room and took her upstairs. She felt a little defeated today, but the battle has only just begun and she wouldn't take any second thoughts to take the pressing matters into her own hands if needed.

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**Before anything else I would like to thank these people:_ kira . kuran2, Morriganna, littlevamp,_ _residentfan1, _and to the others who read and supported this story. Thank you all so much! 3**


	15. Chapter 15

**XV.**

It's been two days since she arrived at her brother's household, and the past few days seemed to drive her insane even further. She kept on looking for any signs that Wesker might betray them and finally unfold all of his evil schemes to justify her accusations, but much to her growing frustrations there was nothing out of the ordinary. She could see how the couple treated each other just like any other pair of lovers and it drove her mad.

Finally, she decided to talk to Wesker one-on-one because she couldn't handle all the thoughts inside her anymore. She found him sitting quietly on one corner of the house while reading Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead".

"I want to speak with you for a moment," Claire said with her hands on her hips. Knowing that this was her chance to finally get into the blonde's mind, she reveled in the thoughts of her brother finally telling her that she was right all along, and her doubts and worries about Wesker's true motives can die with him.

"I'm all ears, sweetheart," he replied with his eyes still glued onto the book.

"What are you planning behind our backs? What have you done to my brother?!"

Wesker looked up briefly before going back to the book to turn the page, "My plans? Well, I plan on going somewhere with Chris—to the Caribbean Islands or somewhere else that's bright and sunny. I didn't do anything to your brother either, you know. He did me."

Claire stomped her foot impatiently, "would you please cut the shitty innuendos out? I know that you're hiding something!"

"No I'm not; everyone already knows I'm gay."

Claire's patience slowly ebbed away at the mask that she thought Wesker was wearing. There's no way in hell that a man this evil would suddenly atone for his sins and read a book without bad things going through his mind. "You were waiting for the right moment aren't you? You're like a snake in the grass, you know that? Listen, man; I want you to stay away from my brother."

Wesker folded the page's corner to mark it and closed the book. He blinked a few times before staring at Claire through her eyes, "_stay away?_" He laughed sarcastically, "you must be crazy, Claire, darling. Judging you from your words, I don't think you're really concerned about your brother. You keep telling him that you only want him to be happy etcetera, etcetera—I don't think so. You're just selfish, that's all."

Claire wanted to claw his face at that statement. She couldn't understand how this man finds her selfish when he never even had the chance to have a sibling. "What nerve you have, Albert Wesker! You don't have anyone to care for and yet you say those words like you know it all, you're such an asshole!"

"I have a son, and I care for him more than anyone else. I treat Sherry as my own and I care for her too, and Chris… you're selfish because you don't consider your brother's feelings."

"And how the hell is that?!"

"He said that I'm the one who makes him happy, but here you are trying to take me away from him."

The redhead felt like the word _'asshole'_ was too much as a description without even thinking about the other people involved in Wesker's life, and the word seemed to have described her better instead.

"I could've killed him all those times before, but I didn't. I was so close in getting his blood on my hands but I let him go everytime. Last year, he disappeared and didn't come home for several months. I've never worried about a person before, but he changed that."

Claire brows met in confusion as she stood back, "why? Where did he go?"

"I figured out just as much. He didn't tell you anything did he?"

Claire calmed down and felt a little guilty about not knowing anything about her brother for the past few years. "No..." she replied modestly.

"He had post-traumatic amnesia. He was on a mission and he lost all his men. He blames himself until now, and the stress caused a temporary memory loss… and I thought that he was never going to come back and you have no idea how distraught I was. He was the only one who will ever love and understand me for who I am and who I was, and I am ashamed to admit that I was scared out of my wits because I thought that I will be forever facing this wretched world alone once again."

Claire felt like a sledgehammer was dropped onto her head. She can't blame herself for hating Wesker, but she was blinded and deafened by all the rage. Now that she's slowly starting to understand his side of things, she began to tame herself a little bit. "I… I don't know what to say…"

"He never judged me, Claire. He disregarded everything that I've done before, and when I found Jake I've never been more content; I was happy that at least there's still somebody who saw through my imperfections," he moved across the room to put the book back to the shelf, "I don't know how I can ever repay him, and I am extremely grateful that I found the most important people in my life—I know I had to change for the better."

Claire dropped herself on the armchair adjacent to Wesker, who poured himself a glass of Hennessey before spilling the rest of the beans out of his bag. He offered some for the redhead but she refused as surprise started to fill her up. He sat down in front of her and crossed his legs, downing the shot glass in one gulp, "Even when he cheated on me, I never confronted him for it."

"What? My brother isn't foolish enough to do those things not unless he admits it!"

Chris suddenly entered the room without their knowledge and stood behind his sister's chair. His eyes were wide with shock and his face showed extreme guilt and fear because his lover knew what was up all along. "A-Albert… you knew?"

Wesker glanced up, "you might have forgotten how I can sense if a person is guilty or lying. I asked you if you hooked up with someone and you denied it, but from the moment I saw you again I knew you were with someone else because I sensed some fluctuations in your hormones."

"Chris…" Claire stood up and turned to her brother's anguished face, "is it true?"

The brunette nodded bitterly, "yes… I was with someone else," he admitted shamefully. He wanted to throw himself onto the floor and apologize, but he decided to face it with dignity.

Claire cupped her mouth with her hand and shook her head. She can see the pained expression on Wesker's face and thought that this was probably the real thing all along. She logically thought of his explanations a while ago and she knew that it was the no-nonsense kind of thing.

"You see, Claire… I could've maimed him at that instant, but I chose not to. I've done worse than cheat on a lover before."

"Albert, I'm so sorry… I was weak and gullible! I..."

"It doesn't matter now, Christopher. You're here and you are mine, not unless there's still someone else."

"I swear there's no one!"

"Don't fret; I can sense the truth in your words." And Chris couldn't have asked for anything more. He looked at his sister who was trying to mold herself into the situation.

"Claire, please believe me, I only love him… Albert, I love you," Chris pleaded.

His sister was no more than disproved of her accusations. Claire knew how her brother decides about the things that would happen and the path that he was to go through; "If that's how you really feel, big bro. I'm sorry, when Wesker told me I was selfish I was furious, but now I realized that I was, indeed. I never listened to anything and judged him from his past. All I really wished for you is to be happy, and you seem to be more than that. I just want to let you know that now I understand everything," Claire stated apologetically. "I'm… I'm sorry, Wesker." She felt strange as she apologized to a man who brought upon death and destruction to anything in his way once.

"No need to be, dear. I'm just glad that we're starting to get into terms."

Chris embraced his sister tightly and she returned the favor, "I love you, Claire."

"Shut up, I know that already so stop being such a baby," she smiled. "I love you too, bro."

"Alright, before things get really mushy in here everyone's forgetting something, it seems," Wesker piped in as he clapped his hands. His stoic face showed no emotion but he was secretly happy deep inside.

"What is it?" The brother-sister tandem chorused.

"It's Chris' birthday the day after tomorrow," Wesker replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Oh shit, how could I forget? I'm such a horrible sister!"

"I'm just glad that this is all starting to be over," Chris stated hopefully, "and this is a great gift, you know."

That evening in bed, Wesker just couldn't sleep without confronting the younger man about who was the person that he once got together with, "Christopher, are you asleep?" He knew about him more or less, but he wanted to see how Chris would react.

Chris grunted a "no" and turned to face Wesker who had a discerning look on his face. "What is it?"

"Who's that person you hooked up with while you're away? Is it a girl or a guy?"

"C'mon, Al… you don't have to ask me about that. It's so awkward."

"I'm just curious!"

"It's a guy, okay? I may have had amnesia but I still didn't forget that I was gay."

"What's his name then?"

"Forget about him already and go to sleep."

"I refuse to go to sleep until I know a little about him."

"Al, please. I'm tired."

"No you are not."

"I hate your superhuman ability to detect a lying person."

"What's his name? Or do you want me to discover him myself?"

"Oh, a threat… that's sexy."

"Piers Nivans."

"What the fuck, Wesker?"

"Does he ring a bell? He's also younger than you; no wonder why you lost yourself in fresh meat because I'm an old geezer."

"Oh for fuck's sake Al, he's dead! Show a little respect, will ya? I don't care if you're older than me, okay? It doesn't matter! And how the hell did you know about him when you were clueless just about a minute ago?" He shut off his regrets and mourning to avoid spoiling the moment.

"I hate your lack of superhuman ability to detect a lying person."

"You went through my documents in the office, didn't you?"

"Let's just say that I stumbled upon an old note by accident, and I took off from there. I saw his picture too, he's cute."

"Okay, great! Congratulations, sweetheart, you won, you're such a genius, blah, blah, blah. Now go to sleep and forget about him, okay? For the love of crap…"

"Aw, are you really gonna send me off to sleep without a little love-making after a long and stressful day with your little sister?"

Chris rolled his eyes, "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

_Dear Captain Redfield,_

_ You're finally gonna come back to your old life and I'm happy for you. Please take care of yourself and I can't wait to see you again and work with you after your leave. Don't forget me, okay? I'll see you soon and I'll wait for you._

_I love you, captain._

___-Piers_


	16. Chapter 16

**XVI.**

Wesker finally went off to sleep after they had made love. Chris made sure that he was tucked in nice and easy before finally slipping off to meet with Jake and Sherry on the entrance of the labyrinth garden. Claire, who was informed of the 'plan' earlier before nightfall, joined the two in waiting for the big guy.

"Jeez, what's taking him so long?" Sherry asked as she glanced on her wristwatch.

"I think I see him," Jake replied as he pointed out at Chris' figure, wearing a robe and a pair of cotton pants underneath.

"Sorry to make you wait," the brunette said sheepishly as he approached the three.

"Yeah you better be, the mosquitoes here are almost done devouring us," Claire said impatiently, "what kept you?"

"It's something private."

"Oh, let me guess, you and Wesker just had se—"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Jake yelled as he covered his ears.

"Sorry," Claire snickered, "so what should we do tomorrow?"

"You and Sherry would get the cake and the other stuff, and while Jake distracts his father I will get the ring."

"Are you really sure about my dad, big guy? I mean, I'm not against it if you two really love each other but… you know, you can't ask him to make you a sandwich easily," Jake said as he swatted a mosquito.

"Marriage is something to be really thought out really well," Sherry seconded.

"It's been fifteen long years; I think that's about enough damn time to think about it much," Chris replied with determination.

The other three nodded.

"How about the guests?" Claire asked.

"I don't want Barry to know about this as much as possible. He's going to be a tougher nut to crack; besides he's in Canada. Let's just celebrate it all together in private."

"Who's Barry?" Jake mused.

"Long story, kid. Anyway, I would propose on the same day as my birthday, so make sure that he knows not even the slightest bit, you understand? That should be memorable enough." Chris' emotions were welling up, and he just can't believe that his relationship with the blonde would come to this—not even in his wildest dreams. Several years ago they sought out to kill each other, and now here he is looking forward to ask for his hand in marriage. Everything felt so surreal yet magical in a way. The world may not approve, but the people who are with him right now are the world to him and he couldn't care for anything less outside it.

It seemed like his nervousness were endless as he thought about what he should do if ever Albert denies his proposal. He denied even thinking about the worse that could possibly happen.

"He's clever. It won't be easy, Chris," Sherry pointed out. So far, her leave had been interesting and she had been on the roller-coaster of emotions for the past week. She didn't view it as a bad thing, but this was one vacation that she would never forget.

"Just act like nothing special's going to happen except for my birthday. He may be sharp but he ain't capable of reading people's minds."

"I feel that," Claire agreed. She also can't believe that she was one of the people devising all of this while just moments ago she wanted to murder him. "So is everything set?"

"Hoo-hah!" Jake yelled suddenly, causing him to be shushed by Chris, "shut up! His ears are so sensitive. I hate that, by the way. Nobody can keep a secret from him, so you guys better be careful!"

They all agreed and went back inside to get ready for tomorrow.

Chris tried his best to creep back into his spot on the bed beside Wesker, but much to his surprise the blonde was wide awake and was waiting for him all along, "where have you been?"

For some reason the younger man managed to act coolly, "the kitchen. I grabbed some midnight snacks."

"Chris?" Wesker asked monotonously while he grabbed onto his lover's sleeve, making Chris doubt his ability to conceal his white lie.

"What is it, babe?"

"Get me a glass of milk."

Chris mentally breathed a sigh of relief and snickered at the simple yet endearing request, "okay."

The next morning, everyone but Wesker tried hard to avoid acting like something was up. Sherry was secretly excited and so is Claire, who finally admitted what a good-looking couple Wesker and her brother looked despite how weird and twisted it seemed to her. Jake fortunately inherited his father's cool disposition and was going at it smoothly.

"Should we hire catering services for the food?" Claire asked between a spoonful of oats and strawberries.

"That would be too much, sis. There are only five of us," Chris motioned.

"How about renting a place? I found a cozy little café somewhere around town when Jake and I went shopping," Sherry exclaimed merrily.

"I don't want other people involved with this as much as possible. I want it sweet and intimate without risking ourselves any chance of getting discovered by the BSAA people," Chris replied.

"Sweet and intimate? For a birthday?" Wesker asked suspiciously. Everyone else froze and looked at Chris, waiting for him to cover up the close slip of his tongue.

Chris gathered himself up to look as calm and composed, "yeah, why not? It's the first time that I'll be celebrating it with other people besides us."

Fortunately it was good enough when Wesker nodded slightly, "let's just have it here at home, then. I will help in preparing the food."

Jake couldn't help but laugh when he imagined his father wearing an apron and cooking like the wife that he would be soon.

"Is there something funny about what I said?" Wesker reacted sharply, causing Jake's laugh to dissipate into an uncontrollable snicker.

"Oh shut the hell up, Jake. I think it's cute!" Sherry who was forever with her Uncle Al's side defended him.

Claire simply dropped her spoon onto her bowl and dropped her jaw along with it, her mind in tangles and her face in utter disbelief at how normal Albert Wesker could be—and she had no idea what kind of help the blonde could offer, but it was still way off the point compared to what he had been doing before.

"Claire, hey… are you okay?" Chris asked as he waved a hand in front of her face.

The redhead suddenly snapped to her senses and looked at her brother blankly, "I… I guess I am," she replied.

"I have to leave to reserve a cake for tomorrow," Sherry started out the game plan with that statement, distracting the younger Redfield from imagining things any further.

"I'll drive," Claire seconded as they both left in almost a hurry.

"Oh crap, I almost forgot! I need to pick up a parcel from the BSAA at the post office," Chris said as he pushed his chair back to get up.

"And all of a sudden an empty house. How about you Jake? Where are you going?" Wesker asked as he crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow.

"Um… nowhere. I'll be staying here, maybe talk to you or something," the young man replied nonchalantly.

"Is there something that we should talk about?"

"Nothing, really. I'll just stay because I'm too lazy to do anything today."

Wesker shot a look at Chris who was wiping cold sweat with his hand, "is there something I need to know, Christopher?"

"Oh no, babe… I'll just pick up the parcel and come back as quick as I can. Jake, keep your dad company for me will ya? Give me thirty minutes," the brunette nervously replied as he left in the same hurried manner as the two women a while ago.

Wesker's suspicious gaze went back to his son, "are you all planning something?"

"Dad, don't be so paranoid. It's Chris' birthday, it's natural for everyone to get worked up," Jake who was unfortunately used to lying to the point that it sounded like the truth replied.

"Very well, then. Help me clear the table."

"Yes sir."

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**~*~*~*That's it for now, I'll be back to update the end of this story soon. Enjoy the rest of your holidays... Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! :-) ~*~*~***


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! I hope everyone's having a good year so far. Anyways, here are the new chapters. Thanks so much for sticking around! ^_^**

* * *

**XVII.**

Inside the car, Chris struggled to memorize a short line from one of the books that Wesker was so fond of; "I love you so much that nothing can matter to me—not even you… only my love, not your answer because it's different… wait a minute, that doesn't sound right… shit. What the hell happened to my memory? It's not even two sentences long!" He gripped the steering wheel in frustration as he pulled over in front of the most prominent jewelry shop in town.

From what he heard, that store catered to the who's who in Hollywood when it comes to wedding and engagement rings, and he doesn't treat Wesker any differently than those celebrities—hey, he would be the person whom he would share the rest of his life and hopefully grow old with. Besides, Albert Wesker is more than a celebrity for being known as the bringer of death in his previous activities.

He opened the front door at the richly-decorated store that screamed _"I'm too expensive for anyone else!" _ He was greeted by an elderly gentleman clad in a grey suit, "good morning, sir… how may I help you today?"

"Uh, I just wanna look around for a while," Chris replied as he scanned the glass cases, its contents sparkled as the crystal chandelier illuminated their beauty.

"Please suit yourself," the gentleman replied as he went back onto the other side of the store.

Chris nodded and mentally calculated his savings. He worked hard for his money, and he thought that he would spend it today to celebrate a milestone in his life. He could earn more of it, but the meaning and the very essence of the ring that he would offer to his betrothed is priceless. This was it, and he felt that the time was right and he couldn't afford to let go of the blonde anymore.

He finally laid his eyes upon a hundred twenty thousand dollar- ring. He felt his wallet wince as he decided that it was the perfect one, but it was all worth it—that is if his proposal doesn't get rejected. He felt his guts turn as he determinedly settled for that gold bond with a ten-carat diamond encrusted on it. It would mean that he has to spend a fraction of his entire savings, but he was willing to do it if it meant spending his whole life with the person he truly loved, and he even wished that he could spend more. He wasn't cheesy, but he isn't afraid to admit it as a perfect description of himself right now.

He coughed lightly to call the clerk's attention, "excuse me, can this ring be worn by a man?" He asked straight to the point without even thinking.

The clerk cocked his head to the side, "is it for you?"

_'Shit, how could I be so careless?'_ Chris thought. "Uh, yeah… it's for me," he lied.

"This ring is a unisex version and can be worn by either a man or a woman. Would you like to try it on?"

"Sure." He had no problem in knowing anything about his lover's finger size as it was almost identical to his. He learned about it when he held his hand against Wesker's. He slipped the ring and it looked great, although it would look even more perfect on his lover's hand. He couldn't wait to see it finally resting on the blonde's fingers tomorrow as he gave it back to the man. "I'll take it."

The clerk looked at him discerningly, "may I ask what the gentleman's source of finances is?"

Chris forgot about how discriminating high-end stores like this are, and he almost wished that it was possible to slap the clerk silly if only it wasn't a mean thing to do. "I'm a United States operative. Any information beyond that is considered top-secret," he replied sternly as he flashed his ID with a badge beside it. He made sure that the man didn't catch his name or the organization that he was working for.

The clerk nodded in agreement as Chris put his proof of identification in his pocket. "I understand, sir. And how would you like to pay?"

Chris remembered not to make any electronic transactions since he got together with Wesker to avoid being tracked by HQ, "in cash," he replied as he slipped a neat bundle out of his pocket.

The clerk looked pleased enough, "please follow me for the paperwork. Would you like to encase it in a box?"

"Please do that."

"Very well, sir."

He left a few moments later feeling extremely elated and nervous at the same time. It would be now or never.

Meanwhile in the bakery, Sherry was thoughtfully choosing what the cake should look like for tomorrow. Claire had already chosen the flavors that it would be made of knowing what her brother's favorites are.

"Hey Claire, check this out," Sherry called as she flipped a page of the design catalogue.

"Found anything good yet?"

"I was thinking about this one," Sherry pointed out at a picture of a cake with a unicorn on it.

"Um, no offense, Sherry but that's just… that's just too gay—I mean, my brother's gay but he's not that kind of gay, if you even get what I mean…"

"Oh I get what you mean, how about this rainbow cake then?"

"Um, no. Just no."

"But Claire! We still have to incorporate even just a little bit of queerness in here! It's not just a celebration of his birthday; it's also a celebration of truth, self-discovery, and freedom!"

The redhead looked at Sherry quizzically, "I get where you're coming from but that's just too over the top. Knowing my brother, I would say that he'll probably settle in for something really simple like this one," she pointed out a fairly-decorated cake that showed masculine elements instead, "besides the cakes you've chosen before are stereotyping gays everywhere."

"I'm sorry. I just like colorful things."

Claire shrugged, thinking about what fifteen years in government captivity had done to Sherry Birkin, "okay."

They finally decided on the cake for tomorrow and went on to pick up some ingredients for the dishes to be served. Claire's cooking skills were enough for her and Chris to survive since they lost their parents. The older Redfield basically sucked in his culinary efforts, and Sherry was determined enough to learn. Claire thought that if she combined her skills together with Sherry it would suffice to feed a person for tomorrow. Wesker, however, is still a question since she thought that the only household chore that he could do is to clean off blood and other body parts after he disembowels them from someone.

"So we'll have roasted beef, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy for some reason…"

"Biscuits and gravy?"

"It's my brother's comfort food; he included it on the list. Anyway, buttered salmon, chicken casserole, lasagna, and finally for dessert some crème brulee."

"And now, we have to pray."

"For what?"

"To avoid disaster. I have no idea how to make any one of those things," Sherry replied as she scratched her temple.

"Oh, so we're doomed to ruin Chris' birthday _and _his proposal. Point taken... we'll pray alright."

Back at the house, Wesker piled about three recipe books on the table beside him. He noticed Jake laughing every now and then while staring at him, "laugh at me one more time for no reason, Jake Wesker, and I'll punch you through the wall."

Jake pressed his lips together to stop himself from belting out another one, "sorry dad." He sat beside his father and shared the page that he was reading.

It has been thirty minutes and Chris had kept his word of coming back within the promised time. He had a smile on his face that Wesker couldn't help noticing, "welcome back, Chris. Such in high spirits today, aren't you?"

Jake knew what the brunette was smiling about but he kept his mouth shut.

"Smiling a bit makes me look a little less older. What's up?" Chris replied as he secretly made sure that the ring was hidden and intact deep in his pockets.

"Nothing much… did you get your parcel?"

"Nah… it wasn't really that. It's just a boring letter from HQ. I left it in the car." Chris realized that he was getting pretty good at this and smiled even wider.

Wesker's brows met in the middle and glanced at Jake as if he had something to tell, but the young man just pretended to be busy reading the rest of the veal forestiere recipe in a blur.

"I'll just grab something to drink," Chris left to avoid further questioning and strode to the kitchen with his excitement welling up along with anxiousness.


	18. Chapter 18

**XVIII.**

Jake and Chris watched Claire, Sherry, and the unusual presence of Wesker shuffling in the kitchen from a distance the next day.

"Was my father ever a good cook?" Jake asked curiously as he took another sip of his chamomile.

"I guess he's better than me. He goes by the book and it's not so bad," Chris replied and received a nod from Jake. The older man noticed how he looked at Sherry as they came to a pause and gave him a light elbow to the side, "you're checking her out, aren't you?"

Jake gave a questioning look and grinned at the brunette, "who? Your sister?"

Chris frowned, "yeah right, I was talking about Sherry, dumb-ass."

Another grin crept on Jake's face, "I like her. I don't know if the feeling's mutual, though… but I really like her."

"Why don't you find out, then?"

"And ruin our friendship? Hell no. I better work my way into it safely."

"You don't wanna remain in the friend zone for a long time, believe me."

"And this is coming from a guy who remained in that zone for fifteen years…"

"I wasn't friend-zoned… I was in the enemy zone. Listen; don't go by me, kid. My relationship with your father is way too complicated and tough as shit, don't be like that. Sherry's a nice girl. You should go get her soon before it's too late."

"You mean _this_ soon?"

"Maybe… I think she likes you too."

"Oh shut up."

"I'm serious, man! When you get the chance, take a hold of it, don't let it go and then end up crying in your room."

"I don't do that."

"Whatever, you just do what I say. I'm a lot older than you; I handled a far more complicated person than you, and my overall experience is something for you to beat just yet. Man-up to it, kid…"

Jake nodded, "I'll try my best."

"About damn time," Chris gave a light punch to the young man's shoulder.

"I'm a far more complicated person and you love it!" Wesker yelled from the kitchen as the two women looked at him questioningly before going back to their respective tasks; Claire tossed greens on a bowl, Sherry kneaded flour for the biscuits and Wesker was attempting to marinate the beef mound for the roast.

"I sure do, honey! I sure do," Chris yelled back and shook his head before whispering to Jake, "I wish he was deaf sometimes."

The bakery called and told them that the cake was ready. Claire put down the phone and quickly finished whatever she was working on, and with Sherry doing the same the two set off to retrieve the sweet pastry.

Jake ventured away to another part of the house to nap, which was by his declaration 'better than any other shit'.

Wesker was left alone in the kitchen and was surprised at how things went smooth between him and Claire. She seemed to start getting used to his existence and he appreciated it; he was tired of any more trouble. He bent a little to read the rest of what has to be done with the roast on the recipe book lying on the counter-top, but was greeted with a set of strong arms wrapped around his waist.

"You okay?" Chris asked as he rested his head on the side of his lover's neck as soon as he straightened up.

"Thank you for asking. I find this chore too troublesome, and that makes me _not okay_."

"You're so grumpy."

"I have always been this way, Chris. I find it strange that you're still not used to it."

"Whatever," he placed a kiss on the side of his neck and squeezed him tightly.

"And whatever you have between your legs felt like it wanted to be inside me."

Chris laughed, "shut up."

"Not in the kitchen, I say."

"People have been walking in on us recently… of course I wouldn't want to fuck you here."

Wesker turned around and faced Chris, "well I wouldn't want you to fuck me today anywhere either; not with all these… these festivities," he flailed his arms and looked around at the clutter of bowls and other cooking utensils.

Chris peeled himself off from the other man, "I'm patient, I can wait." He avoided his lover's mood to keep his chances of proposing later from being ruined, "I'll see you later," he said as he marched away.

Wesker sighed and went on to read the rest of the procedure. He coarsely chopped some rosemary and sprinkled it onto the meat before doing the same to the other aromatic herbs in line. "This smells awful," he commented nonchalantly.

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_**The next chapters are coming soon! **_


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! Thank you all for sticking around and reading this story. Here are the final chapters and I hope you enjoy. :-)**

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**XIX.**

When Jake first arrived at Chris and his father's household, he swore that he saw a grand piano in one of the two parlors. He remembered how his mother struggled to buy a worn-down, second-hand Bösendorfer piano somewhere in town just to teach him how to play it, and natural talent just flowed freely inside him. Before he knew it he was playing like a pro. He forgot that he was about to take a nap and put his fingers onto its ivory keys instead, and it felt like home. He remembered playing "Clair de Lune" by Debussy for his mother while she lied on the bed and her illness slowly ate her away. He felt a lump forming in his throat, but fought back to shake off those memories that caused it. He would never forget her of course, but he had a new life to live right now.

He lifted up the piano bench's cover and found note sheets that had mostly Beethoven, Bach, Liszt, and Mozart in it. He shuffled through the rest and found Chopin's "Prelude No. 4 in E minor" to play instead. It was a short and bittersweet piece—although mostly it actually made him feel sad and morose, but it was beautiful at the same time. He went on; each note bearing through him as he closed his eyes and the world all around him fell away in shards. He finished up, and was greeted by acknowledging applauses by Chris, Claire, and Sherry, whom he blushed upon seeing. They all stood on the doorway with smiles on their faces, on which the one on Chris' features was the proudest, "that was wicked," he beamed as he went on clapping his hands.

"I heard him play for the first time back in China and I never thought that a guy like him has talent like that!" Sherry exclaimed enthusiastically.

Claire shook her head, "that was really something, Jake," and she had another round of applause for him.

"No need to be too modest, guys. Thanks anyway," the young man replied as he stood up and brushed his hands on his lap, "it's been quite some time since I last played."

Sherry suddenly grew thoughtful, "I just had an idea!" She said, holding up a finger, "I want you to play later while Chris asks your father."

"What—"

"Please, Jake." Claire insisted him for the first time, "I want this to be special for my brother." She looked up at Chris and he looked back at her with hopeful eyes. The older Redfield smiled and thanked Claire silently for finally understanding what everything meant to him.

The three pleadingly looked at Jake. He raised his eyebrows and sighed, "Fine, I'll do it. You all look like you're about to cry," he laughed, "do you guys have any special song or something?"

Chris shook his head, "not that I remember anything."

"Don't worry about it, then. I'm gonna try to come up with something that will suit the both of you."

"You mean something like Cher and Madonna songs?" Sherry chirped.

"Not with the stereotypes and clichés again, Sherry," Claire warned as she snickered.

Jake laughed. "Not unless Chris wants it though…"

"Shut your trap, kid. Your dad and I don't belong to those types," Chris replied sternly.

"Okay, enough chit-chat. We still have a lot of work to do," Claire snapped her fingers, "we'll see you later guys!"

"Right," Sherry turned to her heel and left with Claire.

"So I guess it'll be the same for you and me big guy?" Jake poised to return to the piano and do a rundown of the songs he knew by heart.

"Wait, I need to speak with you about something very important," Chris halted the young man by the shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"Listen, your father and I decided that you should continue school. You're still young and you may have a lot of opportunities in the future ahead of 'ya. You know, quit being a mercenary and do something that would serve you in the long run."

Jake didn't know what to feel. Although he was intelligent, he barely passed through high school not because of poor academics, but because of his attitude and behavior. He never bullied anyone, but he constantly got into fights against those who try to do things against him. He was thankful that the kind principal knew and understood him and allowed him to pass. "Keep talking," he simply replied.

"There's a good college in this town—an Ivy League-class type of university. Your father's pretty confident that you wouldn't even break a sweat in the entrance exams, and I feel the same about your skills. So what do you say about going in the next school admissions?"

Jake sighed and realized that Chris was right about thinking about his future. He may have all of the money in the world right now but he suddenly wanted to make his old man proud of his achievements. He also remembered his mother, and the image of her smiling and beaming with pride as if she was still around inspired him even more to make a concrete decision, "Okay. I'm into it. It's about damn time I do good things to myself," he smiled.

Chris tapped his shoulders proudly, "that's what I like to hear. Your dad will be ecstatic to know about your decision—and so is your mom, wherever she is. I know she's smiling and looking down upon you."

Jake drew another smile, "thank you Chris… for everything. You're a good man and no one else deserves my father other than you."

Chris grinned from ear to ear, "I'll take care of him very well, kid. I'll look after him and love him more than my life if that's what you wanna hear right out of my mouth."

"I trust you, man. Good luck," he shook Chris' hand and gave him a motivating pat on the arm.

"Thanks," Chris nodded and left the younger Wesker to practice piano.

After several hours of chopping, kneading, marinating, sautéing and what not, the food was finally done. Claire and Sherry breathed a sigh of relief when nothing disastrous happened along the way, and since they were too keen on following every direction in the recipe book so as not to ruin anything, the overall taste and quality was pretty good. Wesker grinned proudly on his roast chicken and that's all that he could manage to do as a celebration, "you may have been a stubborn chicken but to no avail," he muttered.

The women set the table while Wesker timidly placed birthday trinkets on the middle of the table.

"It's not so bad huh, Uncle Al?" Sherry nudged the blonde gentleman on the side.

"I guess so," Wesker shrugged and placed the casserole on the table.

"Thank God everything went well! Now we all just have to get dressed up and ready for the party!" Claire squealed.

"You all look just fine to me," Wesker said lazily.

"Today's special, Wesker. There aren't a lot of opportunities to get all dolled-up and stuff," Claire replied as she turned for the stairs.

"Why don't you do the same too, uncle? Chris would've liked to see you looking more dashing than ever tonight."

Wesker had a questioning expression on his face, "is he living out some sort of fetish for his birthday?"

Sherry dragged Wesker upstairs to the master bedroom as a reply, "c'mon, let's just get you all dressed up, you handsome devil."

"You are all so strange! What is this farce?" His protests fell on deaf ears as Sherry shoved an expensive tailored suit against him. Chris had bought the set some time ago and kept it away as a secret for this particular moment. It wasn't long before the man complained again, "where did this come from?"

"Just dress up, Uncle Al, okay?! We'll see you later with that suit on."

Wesker rolled his eyes and gave in, "alright if that is what will shush you. Now run along and do your own thing," he said as he shut the door.

Claire and Jake, who were waiting on the other side of the hall both asked, "so what did he say?"

"He's wearing it!"

"Great! I know it's weird but I'm too damn nervous and excited," Claire squeaked.

"I know! Let's go do our make-up and het this over with."

"Tch… women..." Jake shook his head and got ready to dress up as well.

Minutes later everybody was done and ready for the big announcement. They expected to see Wesker already sitting on the table looking bored and unenthusiastic, but instead there was a very nervous Chris anxiously tapping his foot on the marble floor out of habit. "Where is he?" He asked with a strain on his voice when he noticed that his partner wasn't with the trio. He was wearing a dark suit and a crisp white collared shirt underneath.

"I thought he's already here!" Claire exclaimed as they all looked at each other. Chris' face struck a worried expression as he glanced one more time at a piece of crumpled paper balled in his palm. It had one of the lines from Wesker's favorite book and he had been practicing to say the line calmly when he finally faces him later.

They all sat down at the table and spent a few more minutes waiting—occasionally glancing at watches and nervously biting fingernails with different scenarios playing in their heads. Suddenly, slow, heavy steps broke the silence as they all looked up at the grand staircase. Wesker had his hands casually on his pants' pockets and he walked down looking very handsome and sleek as ever specially in the suit that Chris had secretly bought for him. The brunette was relieved that he chose the outfit wisely and he was mesmerized by the godly sight of his stunning lover.

Sherry smiled and Jake was proud of his source of good looks. Claire swore that he had never seen the blonde as handsome as before while Chris swore that he just had a funny feeling in his groin accompanied by a semi. In a few more moments the man he once spent hell with will finally be his and his alone, and he will tackle the moment head-on.

"What's everybody staring at? I don't have anything on me," Wesker said flatly as he joined the group on the table, "shall we begin?"


	20. The End

**XX.**

It was time to get his act on. Chris tried hard to calm himself before Wesker even notices his nervousness. He stood up and took his lover's hand, "Al, can I talk to you for a while?"

Wesker looked around and the rest seemed to be busy talking to each other for some reason.

"Where?"

"In the garden, just a few minutes, please."

"The garden isn't a good place for a quick fuck, Christopher. We have a bedroom."

The two women pretended to be busy chatting as they suppressed their laughter.

"I'm just gonna use the bathroom for a while," Jake lied, barely trying to ignore his father's vulgar statement. He was actually making a run to the middle of the garden to play the piano as soon as Chris and his father arrives at the setting. He gave out kudos to Chris for all the great effort of hiring some guys to move a grand piano in the middle of rich foliage earlier in the afternoon. His father knew nothing since he was either busy complaining or cooking.

"No, Al, jeez I'm not talking about that. Just walk with me, okay? It's really important."

Wesker shrugged and led the way.

They walked along the hydrangea and jasmine bushes outside. The moon was full and the sky was dotted with innumerable stars—a perfect setting in Chris' mighty opinion. He can hardly wait to pop the question but he had to take things surely. He intertwined his fingers with the blonde and put it onto his mouth, kissing it affectionately.

"What has gotten into you, Chris? What is it that you want to talk about?"

Chris looked up and back to face Wesker, "Jake agreed to go to college. He says he wants to make you and his momma proud."

"Great, I expect highly of him. Is that it?"

They were close to the middle of the large garden and Chris whistled as a signal for Jake to start playing, "It's pretty nice out here tonight, isn't it?"

"What else do you want to talk to me about?" Wesker insisted when Chris didn't answer his question earlier.

Suddenly a string of melodies started piercing the quiet evening, accompanied by the chorus of crickets and other sounds of the night.

"What was that?" Wesker asked, growing suspicious.

"Just keep walking with me." Chris had finally calmed down and is now ready for anything, while Wesker was the one who now grew anxious this time.

"You better not anger me, Christopher!" Wesker was led right in the middle of the garden and he felt his breath trapped in his throat. There were hundreds of candles around the clearing with rose petals scattered around the grass and onto the platform with his son playing the grand piano. Jake winked at him and then began singing his own version of The Magnetic Fields' "The Book of Love", a song that he heard over the satellite radio in his room. The lyrics most definitely caught his attention and he knew that it would be memorable enough. The blonde looked at Chris with confusion, "I… what—"

Claire and Sherry crept up from behind the bushes and watched everything in secret, "this is so romantic!" Sherry whispered.

"And Jake's really talented, don't you think?"

Sherry blushed even though it wasn't visible in the darkness, "I'll deal with him later. In the meantime let's just keep watching."

Claire smiled and nodded.

Chris looked through Albert's crimson eyes and held both of his hands now. The orbs glowed with the candlelight and it wasn't as threatening to look at unlike before. In fact, it just attracted Chris even more and he learned to adore those orbs looking back at him with more confusion. "Chris, just tell me what's going on," he demanded helplessly.

The brunette squeezed his lover's hands even tighter, "I love you so much that nothing can matter to me—not even you... only my love—not your answer. Not even your indifference."

Albert's eyes grew wider when he recognized that the line came from "The Fountainhead", a book that he grew so fond of because of some of its philosophical aspects regarding certain matters, as well as Ayn Rand's interesting views on issues regarding humankind. It was a love-hate relationship with Rand's opinions, but he and Chris shared the same thing before in their early encounters.

The older man's heart beat madly against his chest and he felt like it was going to explode anytime soon. It's a mystery how he failed to sense Chris' shifting pulse and breathing, and now he was afraid of his own assumptions. He didn't want to think of anything because he didn't know what to expect out of this situation. For all he knew, this was the first time in a very long time that he felt these damned emotions. He felt weak, but was unable to do anything but succumb to whatever the night has to bring.

Chris reached into his pocket and pulled up a ring. It shimmered in the candlelight and Wesker knew that his dread was coming to fruition—he never expected to marry anyone until he dies, but the opportunity suddenly presented itself to him in the form of the man kneeling in front of him on one knee.

Claire and Sherry squealed like schoolgirls in their hiding place, their palms sweaty in anticipation.

_"It's a hundred-twenty thousand dollar-ring you bastard," _Claire thought, _"you better accept it or I'll be forced to shove it up your—"_

"Al, I never expected this day to ever come, but I know that this is right. I love you and nothing will ever change that," Chris said with full determination.

The blonde didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and before he could even say anything Chris cut him off with an earth-shattering and straightforward question; "Albert Wesker… will you marry me?" The brunette held the ring in front of him.

His mouth went dry. Jake stopped playing and it seemed that even his heartbeat stopped. Everything suddenly felt quiet, as if time came to a standstill while waiting for his answer. He was at loss of words for the first time in his life. He should've known that this time would come, then he realized that he may never experience this ever again. It was time to change, and it was time for him to finally make the right choice of being with someone who loved him despite of his faults and gruesome imperfections.

He drew his breath and tried to look as calm and composed although he knew that it was failing him. He took the ring and slid it onto his finger, "wait, does this mean I will take your last name?"

"You will, babe," Chris smiled nervously, wondering if taking his last name would spite someone else in Wesker's life if any.

Wesker was silent as he examined the bond on his finger and everyone tensed as they awaited the confirmation. Chris felt excruciatingly anxious once again as beads of sweat formed in his forehead, and he can't even feel the strain on his legs as he continued kneeling on one knee while waiting for the results.

After what seemed like an eternity, the blonde sighed heavily, put his hands on his hips, and finally gave out the much-awaited answer; "Yes."

Chris felt like the sun suddenly took its place in the night sky. He stood up, scooped up Wesker and pressed his lips against him passionately. He put him down and he was teary-eyed; it was like a long-lost dream come true. He tried his best not to break down and shed tears of happiness.

"Success!" Jake yelled from the platform with an arm raised in victory before stepping off and tapping Chris and his father's shoulders, "congrats, guys. I hope you'll have a nice life together."

"Thanks, kid," Chris shook hands with Jake and hugged him before turning his attention back to his new fiancé. It was such a strange description for a man that he was once content in looking at from a distance, thinking that his love was unrequited. "I love you, Al, and you have no idea how much," he said as he grabbed his lover close and kissed him again. Wesker managed to whisper a half-embarrassed 'I love you too' against Chris' mouth, making the brunette kiss him even more passionately. The older man felt defeated, but he didn't feel bad about it.

"Hey, get a room!" Jake protested mockingly and laughed it off, shaking his head in sheer amazement at the star-crossed lovers.

"You two can come out now, I said yes," Wesker exclaimed at the two women behind one of the bushes when Chris pulled away.

They joined the men in their celebration and congratulated them in their own ways—wishing them well and sharing their newfound happiness. Sherry took pictures and set up her camera timer to take a shot of everybody. Chris just can't believe that all of this was happening and he almost wanted to punch himself to check if any of it was real. It seemed that all of his patient waiting paid off, and it was worth more than anything.

Jake moved to one side and watched the sweet goings-on between the two men in silence with a wide smile on his face, and Sherry noticed him. She went over to the young man, grabbed him, and gave him a long, sweet, and unforgettable first kiss. He was stunned at her bold display of affection, but he smiled back at her afterwards, "I guess I can get out of the friend zone now?" Jake asked shyly.

"Yes, Jake. Now let's get back to the others before I change my mind," Sherry locked an arm around the younger Wesker and went back to the revelry.

Everyone celebrated for the rest of the night. They had never felt more positive about the happy conclusion of Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker's long and bloody history as each other's nemesis. Now as the two men who used to be bitter enemies ventured into the beginning of the rest of their lives together, the world was probably a much, much safer place to live in with the man who once sought after its downfall found a new place in his lover's arms.

**The End.**

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**Special thanks and appreciation to all those who supported this. I hope to see you all in the next story! **


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